Affordable Care Act

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  U.S. federal statute, Comprehensive health care reform law

• Formal Name

  Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)

• Enacting Body

  111th United States Congress

• Informal Name

  Obamacare

• Impact by 2016

  20 to 24 million additional people covered

• Primary Goal 1

  Make affordable health insurance available to more people

• Primary Goal 2

  Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL)

• Primary Goal 3

  Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower healthcare costs

• Funding Sources

  New taxes, cuts to Medicare provider rates and Medicare Advantage

• Key Provision 1

  Insurers must accept all applicants regardless of pre-existing conditions

• Key Provision 2

  Young adults can stay on parents' insurance until age 26

• Key Provision 3

  Expanded Medicaid eligibility

• Key Provision 4

  Provided premium tax credits/subsidies for eligible households

• Impact on Budget

  Reduced budget deficit (according to CBO reports)

• Impact on Income Inequality

  Reduced income inequality (according to CBO reports)

• Impact on Healthcare Spending

  Slowed increases in overall healthcare spending

• Impact on Uninsured Population by 2016

  Roughly halved

• Individual Mandate Penalty (2019 onwards)

  $0

Timeline

• The 'Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009' (H.R. 3590) was introduced in the House by Charles Rangel, which later became the basis for the ACA. (Source: web_search_results)

  2009-09-17

• The House passed H.R. 3590 (220–215). (Source: web_search_results)

  2009-11-07

• The Senate passed the 'Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act' (60–39) with an amendment. (Source: web_search_results)

  2009-12-24

• The House agreed to the Senate amendment (219–212). (Source: web_search_results)

  2010-03-21

• The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama. (Source: Summary)

  2010-03-23

• The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 was enacted, making amendments to the ACA. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2010

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius that states could choose not to participate in the law's Medicaid expansion, but otherwise upheld the law. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2012

• The federal health insurance exchange, HealthCare.gov, faced major technical problems at the beginning of its rollout. (Source: DBPedia)

  2013

• Major provisions of the Affordable Care Act came into force. (Source: Summary)

  2014

• The uninsured share of the U.S. population had roughly halved, with an estimated 20 to 24 million additional people gaining coverage due to the ACA. (Source: Summary)

  2016

• The Affordable Care Act had gained majority public support. (Source: Summary)

  2017

• The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was enacted, setting the individual mandate penalty at $0. (Source: Summary)

  2017

• The individual mandate penalty for not having health insurance became $0. (Source: Summary)

  2019

• The Supreme Court upheld the ACA for the third time in California v. Texas. (Source: DBPedia)

  2021-06

Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. Together with amendments made to it by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, it represents the U.S. healthcare system's most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of coverage since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Most of the act remains in effect. The ACA's major provisions came into force in 2014. By 2016, the uninsured share of the population had roughly halved, with estimates ranging from 20 to 24 million additional people covered. The law also enacted delivery system reforms intended to constrain healthcare costs and improve quality. After it came into effect, increases in overall healthcare spending slowed, including premiums for employer-based insurance plans. The increased coverage was due, roughly equally, to an expansion of Medicaid eligibility and changes to individual insurance markets. Both received new spending, funded by a combination of new taxes and cuts to Medicare provider rates and Medicare Advantage. Several Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports stated that overall these provisions reduced the budget deficit, that repealing ACA would increase the deficit, and that the law reduced income inequality. The act largely retained the existing structure of Medicare, Medicaid, and the employer market, but individual markets were radically overhauled. Insurers were made to accept all applicants without charging based on pre-existing conditions or demographic status (except age). To combat the resultant adverse selection, the act mandated that individuals buy insurance (or pay a monetary penalty) and that insurers cover a list of "essential health benefits". Young people were allowed to stay on their parents' insurance plans until they were 26 years old. Before and after its enactment the ACA faced strong political opposition, calls for repeal, and legal challenges. In the Sebelius decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could choose not to participate in the law's Medicaid expansion, but otherwise upheld the law. This led Republican-controlled states not to participate in Medicaid expansion. Polls initially found that a plurality of Americans opposed the act, although its individual provisions were generally more popular. By 2017, the law had majority support. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 set the individual mandate penalty at $0 starting in 2019.

Web Search Results

• Affordable Care Act - Wikipedia

  The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. Together with amendments made to it by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, it represents the U.S. healthcare system's most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of coverage since the enactment [...] ACA amended the Public Health Service Act of 1944 and inserted new provisions on affordable care into Title 42 of the United States Code. The individual insurance market was radically overhauled, and many of the law's regulations applied specifically to this market, while the structure of Medicare, Medicaid, and the employer market were largely retained. Some regulations applied to the employer market, and the law also made delivery system changes that affected most of the health care system. [...] | Introduced in the House as the "Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009" (H.R. 3590) by Charles Rangel (D "Democratic Party (United States)")–NY "New York (state)")) on September 17, 2009 Committee consideration by Ways and Means Passed the House on November 7, 2009 (220–215) Passed the Senate as the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" on December 24, 2009 (60–39) with amendment House agreed to Senate amendment on March 21, 2010 (219–212) Signed into law by President

• Understanding the Affordable Care Act | What is the ACA| AMA

  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive reform law, enacted in 2010, that increases health insurance coverage for the uninsured and implements reforms to the health insurance market. This includes many provisions that are consistent with AMA policy and holds the potential for a better health care system. The ACA represents a tremendous step forward on the path toward meaningful health system reform, and additional steps will follow. [...] Under the Affordable Care Act, patients who may have been uninsured due to preexisting conditions or limited finances can secure affordable health plans through the health insurance marketplace in their state. The AMA is committed to providing information for physicians to help their patients get coverage, along with securing changes to improve the law moving forward. ## General ACA resources and links for physicians

• About the ACA - HHS.gov

  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, referred to as the Affordable Care Act or “ACA” for short, is the comprehensive health care reform law enacted in March 2010. The law has 3 primary goals: [...] Make affordable health insurance available to more people. The law provides consumers with subsidies (“premium tax credits”) that lower costs for households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the FPL. Not all states have expanded their Medicaid programs. Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally. Need health insurance? [...] Find affordable health care and compare plans at Healthcare.gov. ## Read the law Full Text of the Affordable Care Act and Reconciliation Act - This is not the official version, and we provide it for your convenience. Certified full-text version: Affordable Care Act Certified full-text version: Reconciliation Act ## Know Your Rights Learn more about your rights & protections under the health care law. ## No Surprise Medical Bills

• Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - U.S. Department of Labor

  This document is about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a comprehensive healthcare reform legislation passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law in 2010. It aims to increase access to affordable health insurance, improve quality of care, and reduce healthcare costs. The bill covers a wide range of provisions, including the establishment of health insurance exchanges, expansion of Medicaid eligibility, requirement for individuals to have minimum essential coverage, and [...] # Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

• What is the Affordable Care Act (ACA)? - Healthinsurance.org

  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – also known as the Affordable Care Act or ACA, and often referred to as Obamacare – is the landmark health reform legislation passed by the 111th Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. ### What provisions are included under the ACA legislation? [...] The federal poverty level (FPL) - also referred to as the federal poverty guidelines – is used to determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP, and for premium subsidies and cost-sharing reductions in the health insurance marketplace. Home > Glossary > Affordable Care Act (ACA) # Affordable Care Act (ACA) ## What is the Affordable Care Act (ACA)? [...] ### How does the ACA make individual health insurance more affordable? The law includes premium subsidies and cost-sharing reductions designed to reduce the costs of coverage and care for eligible applicants. Find out if you're eligible for subsidies with our subsidy calculator, and keep in mind that premium subsidies have been enhanced through 2025 under the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, making them more robust than they were under the original ACA rules.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 amendment, it represents the U.S. healthcare system's most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of coverage since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. The ACA's major provisions came into force in 2014. By 2016, the uninsured share of the population had roughly halved, with estimates ranging from 20 to 24 million additional people covered. The law also enacted a host of delivery system reforms intended to constrain healthcare costs and improve quality. After it went into effect, increases in overall healthcare spending slowed, including premiums for employer-based insurance plans. The increased coverage was due, roughly equally, to an expansion of Medicaid eligibility and to changes to individual insurance markets. Both received new spending, funded through a combination of new taxes and cuts to Medicare provider rates and Medicare Advantage. Several Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports said that overall these provisions reduced the budget deficit, that repealing ACA would increase the deficit, and that the law reduced income inequality by taxing primarily the top 1% to fund roughly $600 in benefits on average to families in the bottom 40% of the income distribution. The act largely retained the existing structure of Medicare, Medicaid, and the employer market, but individual markets were radically overhauled. Insurers were made to accept all applicants without charging based on preexisting conditions or demographic status (except age). To combat the resultant adverse selection, the act mandated that individuals buy insurance (or pay a fine/tax) and that insurers cover a list of "essential health benefits". Before and after enactment the ACA faced strong political opposition, calls for repeal and legal challenges. In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court ruled that states could choose not to participate in the law's Medicaid expansion, but upheld the law as a whole. The federal health insurance exchange, HealthCare.gov, faced major technical problems at the beginning of its rollout in 2013. Polls initially found that a plurality of Americans opposed the act, although its individual provisions were generally more popular. By 2017, the law had majority support. President Donald Trump rescinded the federal tax penalty for violating the individual mandate through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, starting in 2019. This raised questions about whether the ACA was still constitutional. In June 2021, the Supreme Court upheld the ACA for the third time in California v. Texas.