The New York Times reported earlier this year that these three provisions alone have already benefited at least 31 million Americans.
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Many of the key provisions, including the creation of exchanges with subsidies for those who qualify, expansion of Medicaid, and minimum standards for insurance plans, took effect in 2014. Some of the ACA’s provisions became effective immediately when the law was implemented in 2010, while others are being phased in through 2020. These provisions are designed not only to expand insurance coverage but to increase consumer protections, emphasize prevention and wellness, improve quality and system performance, strengthen the health workforce, and curb rising health care costs. The Affordable Care Act is divided into 10 titles and contains nearly a thousand pages of provisions that touch almost every aspect of the health care system. 3 Changes in the uninsured rate between the fourth quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2015 (based on Gallup-Healthways surveys) are summarized in Table 1. 6 Since the enactment of the ACA, Latinos have experienced the largest gain in health coverage among all racial and ethnic groups. The overall uninsured rate for Latinos fell from 36% to 23% less than one year after the exchanges opened for enrollment. groups that have historically been at the greatest risk for lacking insurance, including Latinos, African-Americans, and economically disadvantaged individuals. 4 This is the largest increase in insurance rates of any age group, 5 a direct impact of a key provision of the law that requires many health plans to extend dependent coverage up to the age of 26. 4 Since the ACA was implemented, nearly three million previously uninsured young Americans have obtained coverage under their parents’ health insurance policies. For instance, before the ACA took effect, nearly one in three young adults ages 19 to 26 years lacked health insurance coverage, primarily because of insufficient access to employer-provided insurance and subsidized public coverage. 2 The findings, published this spring in Health Affairs, are based on a survey of about 1,600 Americans ages 18 to 64 years.Ī closer look reveals more about these gains, particularly across racial and ethnic, economic, and age groups.
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The RAND report found that significant gains in health coverage are spread across all types of insurance, including employer-provided coverage, government Medicaid programs, and policies offered through the state insurance marketplaces created by the law. Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index Percentage Uninsured in the U.S., by Quarter 3 But politics aside, is the law working as intended and meeting its primary goals? It has survived an unprecedented level of scrutiny (especially by Republicans). The ACA, often referred to as Obamacare, is one of the most complex and comprehensive reforms of the American health system ever enacted.
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In what was considered a make-or-break case for the ACA, the court ultimately sided with the White House, ruling 6–3 on June 25, 2015, to uphold the health insurance subsidies regardless of whether the state or federal government administers the exchange. The lawsuit, known as King v Burwell, questioned whether individuals who purchase health insurance in the 34 states that have federally run health insurance exchanges are entitled to tax credits for their premiums and cost-sharing reductions.
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Supreme Court’s long-awaited ruling on a landmark case that had threatened to dismantle the law by revoking health insurance subsidies for millions of Americans. Earlier this year marked the fifth year anniversary of the signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).