President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress pursued several major efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) but were unable to get a bill through the U.S. Senate in 2017. In 2018, Congress did pass a tax bill that eliminated the ACA’s tax penalty for not obtaining health coverage beginning in 2019.
In December 2019, a federal appeals court panel ruled that the law’s individual mandate is unconstitutional since Congress has set the mandate tax penalty to zero and sent the case back to a lower court to determine how much of the rest of the ACA should be invalidated. The case was first brought by a number of Republican state attorneys general, and the Trump administration now argues that nearly all of the ACA should be overturned. The U.S. Supreme Court has now agreed to review the case.
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
Potential Impact of Texas v. U.S. Decision on Key Provisions of the Affordable Care Act
On December 14, 2018, a federal trial court judge ruled that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate is unconstitutional and that the entire law should be struck down as a result. This brief considers the complex and far-reaching impact were the entire law ultimately held to be invalid.
Fact Sheet See More
Related Affordable Care Act Resources
- Explaining Texas v. U.S.: A Guide to the Case Challenging the ACA
- Coronavirus Response and the Affordable Care Act
- Republican Voters Have Moved On from Hating the ACA
- FAQs: Health Insurance Marketplace and the ACA
- Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions: Interactive Map
- How ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Changing by County in 2020
- Insurer Participation on ACA Marketplaces, 2014-2020
- The Past, Present, And Possible Future Of Public Opinion On The Affordable Care Act
- Pre-Existing Condition Prevalence for Individuals and Families
- Preventive Services Tracker
KFF Health Tracking Poll – February 2020: Health Care in the 2020 Election
This month’s KFF Health Tracking poll explores the role of health care in the 2020 election, and public opinion on the Affordable Care Act.
Poll Finding See More
Refine Results
- view as grid
- view as list
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: April 2013
With open enrollment in new health coverage options created under the Affordable Care Act set to begin in October, much of the public remains confused about the status of the law. The April 2013 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll provides a rough baseline of public awareness of the ACA before more intensive consumer information and consumer assistance efforts begin.
Poll Finding Read More
Getting into Gear for 2014: Findings From a 50-State Survey of Eligibility, Enrollment, Renewal and Cost-Sharing Policies in Medicaid and CHIP, 2012-2013
This 50-state survey provides a snapshot of Medicaid and CHIP enrollment and eligibility policies and procedures and highlights the changes that states will need to make in their programs to prepare for the ACA in 2014.
Report Read MoreJAMA Forum: Great Expectations and the Affordable Care Act
“Great Expectations and the Affordable Care Act,” Larry Levitt’s February 2013 post for The JAMA Forum, is now available online.
Perspective Read MoreHealth Coverage by Race and Ethnicity: The Potential Impact of the Affordable Care Act
Executive Summary One of the key goals of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to reduce the number of uninsured through a Medicaid expansion and the creation of health insurance exchange marketplaces with advance premium tax credits to help moderate-income individuals pay for this coverage. Given that people of color…
Issue Brief Read MoreA 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
Beyond Rebates: How Much Are Consumers Saving from the ACA’s Medical Loss Ratio Provision?
The Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) saved consumers an estimated $2.1 billion last year, in the form of lower premiums and rebates, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Under health reform, insurers must issue consumer rebates if they fail to spend a certain portion of premium income on health care claims and quality improvement expenses, thereby limiting what they may spend on administrative expenses or keep as profits.
Perspective Read MoreState 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 MoreAligning 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.
Issue Brief Read MoreThe Role of Medicaid in State Economies and the ACA
This brief summarizes findings from 32 studies in 26 states analyzing the anticipated impact of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion (and in some cases full ACA implementation) on state and local economies.
Issue Brief Read MoreSummary of Coverage Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
This short summary describes the health coverage provisions contained in the final version of the Affordable Care Act signed into law in March 2010, including the individual mandate requirements, expansion of public programs, health insurance exchanges, changes to private insurance and employer requirements.
Issue Brief Read More