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

Jan 3, 2020

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.

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Related Affordable Care Act Resources

Feb 21, 2020

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.

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August 4, 2015 Fact Sheet

Preventive Services Covered by Private Health Plans under the Affordable Care Act

This fact sheet, Preventive Services Covered by Private Health Plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), examines the types of preventive services or benefits that must be covered without cost sharing for adults and children. The fact sheet explores the rules and challenges of implementing coverage, as well as the application of reasonable medical management, and it outlines steps the government has taken to address these issues.

July 17, 2012 Issue Brief

Summary 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.

November 1, 2012 Report

The Cost and Coverage Implications of the ACA Medicaid Expansion: National and State-by-State Analysis

A central goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to significantly reduce the number of uninsured by providing a continuum of affordable coverage options through Medicaid and new Health Insurance Exchanges. Following the June 2012 Supreme Court decision, states face a decision about whether to adopt…

April 1, 2011 Issue Brief

What the Actuarial Values in the Affordable Care Act Mean

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) establishes four levels of coverage based on the concept of “actuarial value,” which represents the share of health care expenses the plan covers for a typical group of enrollees. As plans increase in actuarial value – bronze, silver, gold, and platinum –…

June 29, 2012 Poll Finding

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Early Reaction to Supreme Court Decision on the ACA

This poll fielded following the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the heart of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) finds a majority of Americans (56 percent) now say they would like to see the law’s detractors stop their efforts to block its implementation and move on to other national problems. Democrats overwhelmingly…

August 1, 2012 Issue Brief

Implementing the ACA’s Medicaid-Related Health Reform Provisions After the Supreme Court’s Decision

On June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A majority of the Court also found the ACA’s Medicaid expansion unconstitutionally coercive of states, while a different majority of the Court held that this issue was fully remedied by limiting the Health…

April 1, 2012 Report

Patient Cost-Sharing Under the Affordable Care Act

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), four tiers of health insurance will be offered in the health insurance exchanges and throughout the individual and small group markets beginning in 2014. Under the minimum coverage plan, the “Bronze” plan, the insurance plan will pay for 60 percent of the costs of…

October 1, 2010 Issue Brief

Explaining Health Reform: Building Enrollment Systems That Meet The Expectations of the Affordable Care Act

The new health reform law will require most U.S. citizens and legal residents to have health coverage by 2014. It provides new options for coverage by expanding Medicaid eligibility to more low-income people and creating a state-based system of health insurance Exchanges through which individuals can purchase coverage, with federal…

November 29, 2011 Perspective

Kaiser November Health Tracking Poll: Individual Elements of the ACA Popular with the Public

After taking a negative turn in October, the public’s overall views on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) returned to a more mixed status this month. Still, Americans remain somewhat more likely to have an unfavorable view of the law (44 percent) than a favorable one (37 percent).…

February 28, 2012 Perspective

Private Insurance Benefits and Cost-Sharing Under the ACA

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released guidance on the two key components that determine the level of protection that private insurance plans will provide to consumers under health reform. The first involves the services that insurance plans must cover, and the second involves how much patients…