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
Nov 23, 2021
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
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Related Affordable Care Act Resources
Sep 24, 2021
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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February 19, 2020 Poll Finding
This Health Affairs article reviews 102 nationally representative public opinion polls in the period 2010–19 and finds public opinion has shifted in a sustained way at only two points in time: in a negative direction following technical problems in the first enrollment period, and in a positive direction after President Donald Trump’s election and subsequent Republican repeal efforts.
October 15, 2019 Poll Finding
This poll examines health care issues in the Democratic presidential primary , government negotiation of prescription drug prices, party trust on health care, Medicare-for-all, and the pending Texas v. US lawsuit affecting the Affordable Care Act and pre-existing condition protections.
October 15, 2019 News Release
Heading into tonight’s Democratic primary debate, most Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the candidates are spending the right amount or too much time talking about ways to provide coverage to more Americans and Medicare-for-all, two topics that have dominated health care discussions in the past three rounds of Democratic debates,…
May 13, 2020 News Release
Coverage Losses Will Affect At Least a Million Residents in Each of Eight States: California, Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, Georgia, Florida, Michigan and Ohio With more than 31 million workers filing unemployment claims between March 1 and May 2 as the coronavirus crisis hit the nation’s economy, a new KFF…
September 3, 2020 Perspective
In this September 2020 post for The JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt highlights differences in the records and policy plans of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on key health care issues.
September 1, 2020 Issue Brief
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.
September 28, 2020 Issue Brief
This KFF analysis finds that expanding Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies like Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has proposed would lower the cost of Marketplace coverage for nearly all potential enrollees, including the uninsured and others currently priced out of the Marketplace. Biden’s plan would, however, increase federal spending, which we do not attempt to estimate here.
September 30, 2020 Issue Brief
This issue brief examines how the ACA Medicaid expansion has affected racial disparities in health coverage, access to care, health outcomes, and economic outcomes.
October 1, 2020 Blog
In November, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on a legal challenge that seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This analysis shows that new coverage options under the ACA have contributed to large gains in coverage, particularly among people of color, helping to narrow longstanding racial disparities in health coverage.
October 16, 2020 Blog
In recent weeks, the possible overturning of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in court and the upcoming election have focused attention on the issue of protections for people with pre-existing conditions. While the focus has been on the ACA’s private insurance protections, Medicaid also plays a significant role in covering people with pre-existing conditions.