Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues
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.
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.
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.
In this April 2017 post, Larry Levitt discusses the current status of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces, and explains how the Trump administration’s choices — including whether to continue cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers — could influence stability of the marketplaces going forward. The post is now available at The JAMA Forum.
Ceasing payments for the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) cost-sharing reduction program could save $10 billion, but cost an additional $12.3 billion in premium tax credits – an estimated net increase of $2.3 billion, or 23 percent, in federal spending on marketplace subsidies – in 2018, if insurers continue to participate…
Nationwide, nearly two million people in rural areas in Medicaid expansion states gained insurance coverage between 2013 and 2015.
The American Health Care Act (AHCA), which has passed the House of Representatives, contains a controversial provision that would allow states to waive community rating in the individual insurance market. In this brief we estimate the number of people with pre-existing conditions who might be affected by such a policy.
A new interactive map from the Kaiser Family Foundation compares county-level estimates of premiums that consumers would pay under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2020 with what they’d pay under the Senate’s discussion draft, Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), a replacement plan unveiled last Thursday. The maps include premium…
In a Washington Post op-ed, Drew Altman dissects the difference between the talking points and the reality of the Senate health bill to replace the Affordable Care Act and change Medicaid.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers to cover the full cost of prescription birth control as part of their health insurance plans. The June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that a majority of the public support the requirement for private health insurance plans to cover the full cost of birth control. This includes a majority of Democrats, independents, and Republicans.
This fact sheet provides data on Medicaid’s role in West Virginia. It describes how ending the enhanced match for Medicaid expansion and implementing a per capita cap or block grant would affect West Virginia.
This fact sheet provides data on Medicaid’s role in Colorado. It describes how ending the enhanced match for Medicaid expansion and implementing a per capita cap or block grant would affect Colorado.
This fact sheet provides data on Medicaid’s role in Nevada. It describes how ending the enhanced match for Medicaid expansion and implementing a per capita cap or block grant would affect Nevada.
