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Fall 2008
Presidential candidate Barack Obama says, “On health care reform, the American people are too often offered two extremes — government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. … I believe both of these extremes are wrong.” Obama wins the presidency a week later. -
March 2009
President Obama convenes a “health summit” with doctors, insurers, drug companies, consumers advocates and lawmakers. “The status quo is the one option that is not on the table,” the new president says. He appoints Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who has a history of clashes with the insurance industry, to run the federal Health and Human Services agency. She also heads the White House Office for Health Reform. -
July 2009
House Democrats unveil their 1,000-page plan for overhauling the health care system. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (pictured), an ally of Obama’s, says: “When I take this bill to the floor, it will win. This will happen.” House committees begin crunching the details and voting on provisions. -
August 2009
Lawmakers go home to find walls of worry erected over “Obamacare.” One lawmaker says citizens are “shell-shocked” over the many changes in the first eight months of Obama’s administration. -
Nov/7/2009
The House approves its version of health care reform in a 220-215 vote. One Republican votes for the bill. Passage was far from certain — a last-minute compromise limiting federal funding for abortion services cleared the way. -
dec/24/2009
The Senate approves its version of the health care overhaul in a 60-39 party-line vote. Democrats have to break a GOP filibuster. The bill’s passage confirms majority agreement in both chambers of Congress. -
Jan 2010
Obama, in his first State of the Union address, says the health overhaul will “protect every American from the worst practices of the insurance industry.” … In a major upset, Massachusetts state Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, wins the special election to finish the remaining term of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy. It gives the GOP a key vote and is seen as a major rebuff to Obama. Brown works actively against Obamacare. Meanwhile, the GOP-controlled House votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but the -
February 2010
Anthem Blue Cross of California informs many members they’ll be paying a 39 percent increase in premiums. The move, under investigation by the White House and in Congress, galvanizes Democrats on the health care issue. Obama calls a bipartisan health care meeting for leaders of both parties on Feb. 25. He later says “the Republican and Democratic approaches to health care have more in common than most people think.” -
March/21/2010
The Senate’s version of the health care plan is OK’d by the House in a 219-212 vote. All Republicans voted against it. “The American people are angry,” House Republican leader John Boehner said. “This body moves forward against their will.” -
Nov/14/2011
The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments in the Obamacare case brought by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business. It argues that elements of the Affordable Care Act are unconstitutional. -
June/28/2012
The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Twenty-six states and the National Federation of Independent Business had brought suit in federal court challenging the individual mandate and the Medicaid expansion. “In the end, the Affordable Care Act survives largely unscathed,” one justice wrote. Republicans and the Tea Party pin their hopes on presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who responds to the ruling saying: “Obamacare was bad law yesterday; it’s bad law tod -
Januray 2013
Limit on pretax contributions to flex spending accounts capped at $2,500 annually. -
may/23/2013
The California health insurance exchange unveils a preview of its plans, with key insurers including Blue Shield, Anthem, Health Net and Kaiser Permanente -
oct/1/2013
Health insurance exchanges are scheduled to open, writing policies that go into effect Jan. 1. -
Jan/1/2014
Opens Health Benefit Exchange sales of coverage.
Prohibits denial of coverage to adults with pre-existing conditions.
Requires large employers to provide coverage to those who work at least 30 hours per week.
Expansion of eligibility for the Medi-Cal program.
Tax credits for small business that provide coverage.
Tax credits for individuals and families with incomes up to $94,200 (for a family of four) who buy their insurance through the Health Benefit Exchange