Obamacare and You: If You Have a Pre-Existing Condition
This short explainer highlights the changes for people with pre-existing health conditions coming under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
More than a decade after its enactment, tens of millions of people nationwide rely on coverage options created through the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). The law has survived multiple court challeges at the U.S. Supreme Court and repeated attempts by Republicans in Congress to repeal it. Subsequent legislation has scaled back some aspects of the law and expanded others, including by the COVID-19 relief bill, the American Response Plan Act of 2021. This page highlights relevant analysis about the ACA and proposed and enacted changes to it..
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 Costs and Impact of Health Provisions in the Build Back Better Act
A summary of 10 of the major health coverage and financing provisions of the current Build Back Better Act, with discussion of the potential implications for people and the federal budget.
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Related Affordable Care Act Resources
- 5 Charts About Public Opinion on the Affordable Care Act
- A Closer Look at the Uninsured Marketplace Eligible Population Following the American Rescue Plan Act
- Eligibility for ACA Health Coverage Following Job Loss
- Pre-Existing Condition Prevalence for Individuals and Families
- Building on the Evidence Base: Studies on the Effects of Medicaid Expansion, February 2020 to March 2021
- FAQs: Health Insurance Marketplace and the ACA
- Explaining Health Care Reform: Questions About Health Insurance Subsidies
- Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions: Interactive Map
- Preventive Services Tracker
- Tracking Section 1332 State Innovation Waivers
How Marketplace Costs and Premiums will Change if Rescue Plan Subsidies Expire
In this Policy Watch we explore the potential impact of the expiration of the American Rescue Plan Act’s enhanced financial help and new eligibility for the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance Marketplace federal subsidies. While the COVID-19 relief legislation passed earlier this year provides greater subsidy assistance through 2022, Democrats in Congress are currently considering making the temporary federal help permanent or extending it as part of their planned budget reconciliation legislation.
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Obamacare and You: If You Have Job-Based Coverage
This short explainer outlines key changes for people with employer-based health benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.
Obamacare and You
Obamacare and You is a series of one-page papers explaining how the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” will affect different groups of people. Click on the links below to learn more: If You Are Uninsured Haga clic para leer en español If You Are Low-Income and May Qualify for…
No Quick Verdict on Obamacare
This column originally appeared in Politico on September 30. Dr. Altman’s future Politico columns will be posted on kff.org one day after publication. October 1, the focus of great attention in the Obamacare wars, is finally here. Today is the day open enrollment begins for the new health insurance marketplaces,…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: September 2013
September 2013 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll gauges public opinion on the ACA days before open enrollment for Obamacare health insurance marketplaces begins.
How Obamacare May Be Holding Down Costs
In his latest column published in Politico, Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman examines the recent historic slowdown in health-care costs and discusses whether Obamacare is a contributing factor.
California’s Uninsured on the Eve of ACA Open Enrollment
This report presents the findings of a baseline survey of California’s uninsured adult population just before the start of the first open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It will be followed by three other surveys over the course of the next two years that will capture the…
Key Issues in State Implementation of the New and Expanded Home and Community-Based Services Options Available Under the Affordable Care Act
This brief summarizes the key issues identified and discussed by participants in Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured’s July 16, 2013 roundtable meeting on state adoption of the new and expanded Affordable Care Act home and community-based services (HCBS) options. While states have made overall progress in rebalancing their long-term care systems in favor of community-based care, state adoption of ACA HCBS options has been relatively slow to date, despite the growing demand for HCBS among beneficiaries and the enhanced federal funding associated with several of these options.
How Buying Insurance Will Change Under Obamacare
When the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) health insurance marketplaces (also known as “exchanges”) go online this October, millions of people are expected to apply for private insurance coverage. Nobody expects the launch will be perfect, with no hitches and problems. The law not only replaces a fragmented and confusing assortment…
Helping Hands: A Look at State Consumer Assistance Programs under the Affordable Care Act
Navigator and In-Person Assister programs created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will provide outreach and enrollment assistance during the open enrollment period for the new health insurance Marketplaces. This brief describes these programs, highlighting differences in how they are funded and structured and discusses some of the challenges they face.