Health insurance costs have been on the rise since the 1990's and continued to soar well into the 21st century. The health care industry has been criticized for charging too much and not offering enough coverage; and the government has been criticized for not offering a public source for health insurance like many other countries. To try to help both sides of the argument, Barack Obama signed into law the Health Care Reform Act that is alleged to provide health care to every U.S. citizen. The reform bill is supposed to lower health insurance costs for every citizen in order to make it affordable enough for everyone to be covered. But many are confused about just when everything goes into effect and when they can expect to see these changes. Here is the United States health insurance timeline that will answer some of these questions.

The United States health insurance timeline starts with the Affordable Care Act being signed into law. Barack Obama signed the law back in March of 2010 and it states that many new health care changes will roll out over four years. By 2014, many of the changes will have been rolled out.

In 2011 alone, some of the changes have been rolled out. The government now provides small businesses with insurance tax credits so that they can provide their employees with health insurance. Small business can receive up to 35 percent of the employer's contribution to health insurance plans, giving them incentive to provide this service. Additionally, new changes have allowed more states to cover people under Medicaid, which means more people will be eligible to receive care. Senior citizens have begun receiving checks in order to continue getting prescriptions once they have hit their maximum under Medicaid. Early retirees can also benefit from the reform act because coverage to these individuals has been expanded. One of the best changes for 2011 is the availability of a Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) for those who have been denied by private insurance companies for having a preexisting condition.

In 2012, changes such as the encouragement of the government for physicians to join together to form Accountable Care Organizations and the reporting of health disparities (the collection and reporting of racial, ethnic and language date) will be implemented. The reduction of paperwork and administrative costs will also occur, as well as a linking of payment to quality outcomes.

By 2014, all of the changes will have rolled out, including more insurance options, a further expansion of Medicaid, more affordable insurance options, no discrimination of preexisting condition patients and more. With these changes, more Americans can ensure that they remain as healthy as they can be.