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.
Issue Brief See More
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.
Blog See More
Refine Results
- view as grid
- view as list
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…
KFF Election Tracking Poll: Health Care in the 2018 Midterms
In an expansive look at the 2018 midterm elections, this month’s KFF Health Tracking Poll includes an in-depth examination of the role health care may be playing in midterm elections nationally, as well as in Florida and Nevada, two bellwether states in which candidates from both parties are talking about health care issues. Health care remains a top priority for Democrats and independents, but ranks lower for Republicans, behind immigration and the economy and jobs. However, when it comes to specific health care issues, lowering health care costs and maintaining protections for pre-existing conditions have bipartisan support. In addition to exploring the role of health care issues in the election, the KFF Health Tracking Poll also finds large shares of voters say candidate characteristics, President Trump, and party control over Congress will be major factors in their voting decisions.
Mapping Pre-existing Conditions across the U.S.
This brief estimates the share of adults with pre-existing conditions by metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area (MMSA), and finds that in some areas, nearly four in ten have so-called declinable medical conditions that could lead to denials of individual insurance coverage based on pre-ACA underwriting guidelines.
Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, Renewal, and Cost Sharing Policies as of January 2018: Findings from a 50-State Survey
This 16th annual 50-state survey provides data on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility, enrollment, renewal and cost sharing policies as of January 2018. It takes stock of how the programs have evolved as the fifth year of implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) begins, discusses policy changes made during 2017, and looks ahead to issues that may affect state policies moving forward. It is based on a survey of state Medicaid and CHIP officials conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. State data are available in Appendix Tables 1-20.
Poll: Public Says Drug Companies Have More Influence in Washington than the NRA
Democrats Split on Whether to Fix the ACA or Push for a National Health Plan; Few Democratic Voters Say a National Health Plan is Their Top Issue for the Midterms As policymakers weigh strategies to address the high cost of prescription drugs, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that…
Brief Examines Efforts to Create Health Plan Options that Don’t Comply with the Affordable Care Act’s Rules
Though Congress last year failed to repeal key Affordable Care Act requirements for non-group health insurance that people buy themselves, the Trump Administration and some states are promoting other types of plans through regulatory changes that would allow the sale of products that skirt many of the ACA’s requirements. A…
Analysis: Most Short-Term Health Plans Don’t Cover Drug Treatment or Prescription Drugs, and None Cover Maternity Care
A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of short-term, limited duration health plans for sale through two major national online brokers finds big gaps in the benefits they offer. Through an executive order and proposed new regulations, the Trump Administration is seeking to encourage broader use of short-term, limited duration health…
A Comprehensive Review of Research Finds That the ACA Medicaid Expansion Has Reduced the Uninsured Rate and Uncompensated Care Costs in Expansion States, While Increasing Affordability and Access to Care and Producing State Budget Savings
Multiple studies over the last five years find that the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion has increased health coverage, affordability, and access to care while producing budget savings for states and reductions in uncompensated care costs for hospitals and clinics, according to a KFF review of more than 300 studies…
Poll: Most Democrats Prefer a Presidential Candidate Who Wants to Build on the Affordable Care Act
The latest KFF Health Tracking Poll probes Democrats’ views about the general approaches to expanding health coverage and lowering costs put forward by the candidates. Most Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (55%) say they prefer a candidate who would build on the Affordable Care Act to achieve those goals. Fewer (40%)…