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.
Issue Brief See More
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.
Issue Brief See More
Refine Results
- view as grid
- view as list
A Profile of Community Health Center Patients: Implications for Policy
Community health centers are a key source of primary care in underserved areas. Their role will grow as coverage expands under the ACA. To sharpen understanding of the health center patient population, this brief compares them to the low-income population overall, using the Health Center Patient Survey and National Health Interview Survey. The pre-ACA profile of health center patients that emerges sets the stage for measuring change and highlights important implications of states’ Medicaid expansion decisions.
Issue Brief Read More
Assessing the Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage of People with HIV
This analysis provides the first national estimates of the expected impact of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) coverage expansions on people with HIV. The brief finds that close to 70,000 uninsured people with HIV who are in care could gain new coverage, including 47,000 through Medicaid were all states to expand their Medicaid coverage.
Issue Brief Read More
How Will the Uninsured in Texas Fare Under the Affordable Care Act?
This state report explains how the ACA expands coverage in Texas, including a breakdown of how many uninsured people are eligible for Medicaid, how many are eligible for financial assistance to help them buy private insurance in the new Marketplace and how many will not receive any financial assistance at all. The report also details, in specific dollar figures, the income levels at which people in Texas are eligible for Medicaid or financial assistance in the Marketplace. For states not expanding Medicaid, the report quantifies how many uninsured people fall into the “coverage gap,” meaning they will be ineligible for financial assistance in the Marketplace or for Medicaid in their state despite having an income below the federal poverty level.
Fact Sheet Read MoreHow Will the Uninsured in Arkansas Fare Under the Affordable Care Act?
This state report explains how the ACA expands coverage in Arkansas, including a breakdown of how many uninsured people are eligible for Medicaid, how many are eligible for financial assistance to help them buy private insurance in the new Marketplace and how many will not receive any financial assistance at all. The report also details, in specific dollar figures, the income levels at which people in Arkansas are eligible for Medicaid or financial assistance in the Marketplace. For states not expanding Medicaid, the report quantifies how many uninsured people fall into the “coverage gap,” meaning they will be ineligible for financial assistance in the Marketplace or for Medicaid in their state despite having an income below the federal poverty level.
Fact Sheet Read MoreHow Will the Uninsured in California Fare Under the Affordable Care Act?
This state report explains how the ACA expands coverage in California, including a breakdown of how many uninsured people are eligible for Medicaid, how many are eligible for financial assistance to help them buy private insurance in the new Marketplace and how many will not receive any financial assistance at all. The report also details, in specific dollar figures, the income levels at which people in California are eligible for Medicaid or financial assistance in the Marketplace. For states not expanding Medicaid, the report quantifies how many uninsured people fall into the “coverage gap,” meaning they will be ineligible for financial assistance in the Marketplace or for Medicaid in their state despite having an income below the federal poverty level.
Fact Sheet Read MoreHow Will the Uninsured in Colorado Fare Under the Affordable Care Act?
This state report explains how the ACA expands coverage in Colorado, including a breakdown of how many uninsured people are eligible for Medicaid, how many are eligible for financial assistance to help them buy private insurance in the new Marketplace and how many will not receive any financial assistance at all. The report also details, in specific dollar figures, the income levels at which people in Colorado are eligible for Medicaid or financial assistance in the Marketplace. For states not expanding Medicaid, the report quantifies how many uninsured people fall into the “coverage gap,” meaning they will be ineligible for financial assistance in the Marketplace or for Medicaid in their state despite having an income below the federal poverty level.
Fact Sheet Read MoreHow Do Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) Payments Change Under the ACA?
This brief provides some background on federal Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) allotments, how DSH payments are affected by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the methodology for the DSH reductions across states for FY 2014 and FY 2015 and a look at the implications of the reductions.
Issue Brief Read MoreHealthy Indiana Plan and the Affordable Care Act
This fact sheet provides an overview of the Healthy Indiana Plan, Indiana’s 1115 waiver demonstration project, and how it relates to the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.
Fact Sheet Read More
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: November 2013
Amid heavy news coverage of problems with the Affordable Care Act’s rollout, the November Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds a significant negative shift in the public’s views of the law, with roughly half now holding an unfavorable view and just a third holding a positive one.
Poll Finding Read MoreData Note: Attempting to Measure Early Impact of the ACA through National Public Opinion Polls- A Note of Caution and What to Watch For
After the October start of open enrollment, under the Affordable Care Act, many journalists, policymakers, and the public at large are eager for early data indicating how the law is working from the perspective of potential enrollees. In particular, given the problems with Healthcare.Gov and some of the state exchange websites, many people want quantitative data about people’s experiences attempting to purchase or enroll in some sort of health insurance coverage using these mechanisms.
This Data Note raises a note of caution about the possible pitfalls of using standard national public opinion polls to make judgments about Americans’ early experiences with health plan enrollment under the ACA.