More than a decade after its enactment, the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains uncertain as the U.S. Supreme Court takes up another challenge to the law’s constitutionality in California v. Texas (known as Texas v. U.S. in the lower courts). Oral argument is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, 2020.
The ACA remains in effect while the litigation is pending. However, if all or most of the law ultimately is struck down, it will have complex and far-reaching consequences for the nation’s health care system, affecting nearly everyone in some way.
For information about ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment, including fact sheets and 300+ FAQs, visit our collection of resources on Understanding Health Insurance.
Featured Affordable Care Act Resources
Explaining California v. Texas: A Guide to the Case Challenging the ACA
This issue brief answers key questions about California v. Texas (known as Texas v. US in the lower courts), the case challenging the Affordable Care Act to be heard by the Supreme Court.
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Related Affordable Care Act Resources
- 5 Charts About Public Opinion on the Affordable Care Act and the Supreme Court
- Affordability in the ACA Marketplace Under a Proposal Like Joe Biden’s Health Plan
- Eligibility for ACA Health Coverage Following Job Loss
- Protecting People With Pre-Existing Conditions Isn’t As Easy As It Seems
- Is COVID-19 a Pre-Existing Condition? What Could Happen if the ACA is Overturned
- Mental Illnesses May Soon Be the Most Common Pre-Existing Conditions
- Pre-Existing Condition Prevalence for Individuals and Families
- Eliminating the ACA: What Could It Mean for Medicaid Expansion?
- Loss of the Affordable Care Act Would Widen Racial Disparities in Health Coverage
- Loss of the ACA Could Greatly Erode Health Coverage and Benefits for Women
- The Effects of Medicaid Expansion under the ACA: Updated Findings from a Literature Review
- FAQs: Health Insurance Marketplace and the ACA
- Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions: Interactive Map
- Preventive Services Tracker
- Tracking Section 1332 State Innovation Waivers
Potential Impact of California v. Texas Decision on Key Provisions of the Affordable Care Act
The Supreme Court will review the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this November in California v. Texas. This fact sheet summarizes the major provisions of the ACA, illustrating the breadth of its changes to the health care system. If all of most of the ACA is struck down, many of these provisions could be eliminated.
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Health Reform: Implications for Women’s Access to Coverage and Care
This issue brief, Health Reform: Implications for Women’s Access to Coverage and Care, reviews how the Affordable Care Act is expected to affect access to care and affordability of health coverage for women. It also explains the provisions in the health reform law related to preventive screening services, reproductive health, maternity care and women on Medicare. The brief includes national and state-level estimates of the percentage of uninsured women ages 18-64 who are likely to qualify for federal help under the law and a summary of key coverage and benefits provisions in the health reform law that affect women.
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Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: August 2013
As outreach efforts for enrollment in the health insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) increase over the summer, the August Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that the public’s most trusted sources of information on the law are not necessarily the ones people are most likely to be hearing from.
Poll Finding Read More Aligning Eligibility for Children: Moving the Stairstep Kids to Medicaid
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that Medicaid cover children with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) ($31,322 for a family of four in 2013) as of January 2014. Today, there are “stairstep” eligibility rules for children. States must cover children under the age of six in families with income of at least 133 percent of the FPL in Medicaid while older children and teens with incomes above 100 percent of the FPL may be covered in separate state Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) or Medicaid at state option. While many states already cover children in Medicaid with income up to 133 percent FPL, due to the change in law, 21 states needed to transition some children from CHIP to Medicaid. This brief examines how the transition of children from CHIP to Medicaid will affect children and families as well as states. The brief also looks to New York and Colorado for lessons learned from the early transition of coverage.
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Quantifying Tax Credits for People Now Buying Insurance on Their Own
This analysis estimates that Americans currently buying insurance on the individual market would receive $2700 in subsidies (as tax credits) in 2014 under Obamacare. Tax credits are available for qualifying people buying insurance through the new health care marketplaces, or exchanges.
Issue Brief Read More What is Medicaid’s Impact on Access to Care, Health Outcomes, and Quality of Care? Setting the Record Straight on the Evidence
Medicaid now covers more than 1 in every 5 Americans, and millions of uninsured individuals will become newly eligible for Medicaid under the ACA. Considering Medicaid’s large and growing coverage role, an evidence-based assessment of the program’s impact on access to care, health outcomes, and quality of care is of major interest. This brief takes a look at what the research literature shows regarding the difference Medicaid makes.
Issue Brief Read More A Discussion with Leading Medicaid Directors: As FY 2013 Ends, Looking toward Health Care Reform Implementation in 2014
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured convened a focus group discussion with Medicaid directors who serve on the Board of the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD). The discussion focused on state progress and concerns about implementing the ACA including eligibility system changes and state action on the Medicaid expansion decision as well as activity around payment and delivery system reform, and other budget and enrollment trends. The discussion took place in May 2013. Nine Medicaid directors from the NAMD Board plus the Michigan Medicaid Director and NAMD staff participated in the discussion. The following states were represented: Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
Issue Brief Read More State and Local Coverage Changes Under Full Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
This brief highlights estimates from the Urban Institute’s ACS-HIPSM on the magnitude and composition of Medicaid enrollees and the uninsured after full implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the Medicaid expansion. Both state and local level estimates highlight the geographic variation.
Report Read More Helping People With HIV Navigate the Transition to ACA Coverage: Summary of a Roundtable Discussion
In March 2013, the Kaiser Family Foundation convened key HIV/AIDS stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds to explore opportunities for maximizing the beneficial impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for people living with HIV and examine strategies to help them navigate the transition to new health coverage. This report summarizes the information shared and key issues discussed at the meeting.
Issue Brief Read More JAMA Forum: Why Obamacare Needs Millennials
Larry Levitt’s July 2013 column on why the Affordable Care Act is targeting young people is now available on The JAMA Forum.
Perspective Read More Health Coverage for the Black Population Today and Under the Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) could help many uninsured Blacks through the law’s expansion of Medicaid and the creation of new health insurance exchange marketplaces with tax credits to help moderate-income people purchase coverage. This brief provides an overview of the Black population in the U.S., their health coverage today and the potential impact of the ACA coverage expansions.
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