The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called the Affordable Care Act, was signed into law March 23, 2010. On June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the major portions of the act. Effective dates of provision of the act are staggered, but on October 1, open enrollment in health insurance exchanges is set to begin and coverage will be effective January 1, 2014.
The popular name for the new health care law is Obamacare. Given the heated opposition to the act, it is certain the Obama administration will devote substantial resources to make health care reform a success. Both Edith Ramirez, the chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, and Eric Holder, attorney general of the U.S. Department of Justice, have testified before Congress and promised that competition in health care markets is a top priority. On that note, a review of the interplay between competition laws and the health care market is in order.
