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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Why Do Short-Term Health Insurance Plans Have Lower Premiums Than Plans That Comply with the ACA?
Short-term health insurance plans are able to charge premiums 54 percent lower than ACA-compliant plans, by excluding pre-existing conditions and severely limiting benefits.
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KFF Health Tracking Poll – April 2019: Surprise Medical Bills and Public’s View of the Supreme Court and Continuing Protections for People With Pre-Existing Conditions
The April 2019 KFF Health Tracking Poll examines the public’s position on the future of ACA and its protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions, in light of the ongoing legal battle which may end up in the Supreme Court. With lawmakers proposing legislation to address surprise medical bills, this month’s survey also measures the public’s support for federal government action to protect patients from having to pay the cost incurred from an inadvertent out-of-network provider.
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Poll: Most Americans Say HIV Is Serious Issue for the Country as Trump Administration Rolls Out New Plan to End HIV by 2030; Black and Hispanic Adults Report More Personal Concern than White Adults
Support for Medicare-for-all Holds Steady With the Trump administration launching a new domestic HIV effort, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds a large majority of Americans (80%) view the HIV epidemic as a serious national issue, including a third (34%) who view it as “very serious.” Nearly half (46%) view…
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Trump is Reading the Base Wrong on the Affordable Care Act
In this Axios column, co-written with MollyAnn Brodie, Drew Altman discusses GOP voters’ more nuanced views on the health law.
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The Health Care Priorities and Experiences of California Residents
This survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and California Health Care Foundation gauges California residents’ views on health care priorities facing the state’s new governor and legislature, including health care affordability, access to care, mental health and substance use treatment, and provider shortages. It also highlights Californians’ experiences in the health care system, as well as views on the Affordable Care Act, Covered California, Medi-Cal, and proposals to advance a single-payer health insurance system in the state.
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KFF Health Tracking Poll – January 2019: The Public On Next Steps For The ACA And Proposals To Expand Coverage
This month’s KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that about four in ten are aware of the federal judge’s ruling that the ACA is no longer valid but once made aware, most disapprove of the ruling. This poll also examines the public’s favorability toward expanding the role of public health care programs, and majorities across partisan groups have a favorable opinion of programs such as Medicare buy-in and Medicaid buy-in, with a national Medicare-for-all being less popular but still receiving a majority of support overall.
Poll Finding Read More For Low-Income People, Employer Health Coverage is Worse Than ACA
In this Axios column, Drew Altman shows that employer coverage for lower wage workers is much worse than ACA marketplace coverage for similar populations. It’s a bigger problem we need to talk about more, he says.
Perspective Read More New Analysis Maps Prevalence of Pre-Existing Conditions by Metro Area
A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis maps rates of pre-existing conditions across 129 metropolitan and micropolitan areas in the U.S., finding that even within the same state, the prevalence of such conditions can vary substantially. For example, 34 percent of residents of Florence, South Carolina have a pre-existing condition, but…
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Public Opinion on Single-Payer, National Health Plans, and Expanding Access to Medicare Coverage
Slideshow Read More Most Americans – Across Parties – Say 2018 Candidates’ Position on Pre-Existing Condition Protections Will Matter to Their Vote; Do Not Want Supreme Court to Overturn These ACA Protections
Half in Non-Expansion States Support Their State Expanding Medicaid; More if Tied to Work Requirements With less than four months to go until the Congressional midterm general election, a candidate’s position on continuing protections for people with pre-existing health conditions is at the forefront of the many health care issues…
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