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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Declines in Uncompensated Care Costs for The Uninsured under the ACA and Implications of Recent Growth in the Uninsured Rate
The increase in the uninsured rate in recent years, as well as loss of coverage during the pandemic, has led to attention on the consequences of being uninsured. The need for medical care to test, treat, or prevent COVID-19 has also highlighted the potential consequences of uncompensated care for uninsured people. Uncompensated care costs occur because, although people who are uninsured use less care than people with coverage, most who are uninsured have limited income or resources and cannot afford the high cost of medical care, if and when they do need or use health care.
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Sources of Payment for Uncompensated Care for the Uninsured
This brief estimates the level of public funding that was paid to help offset providers’ uncompensated care costs for the uninsured in 2017. To conduct the analysis, we rely on several secondary data sources including government budget appropriations and expenditure data for major public programs that provided funds to cover the cost of care for the uninsured, as well as analyses of secondary data sources completed by others.
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Web Briefing: Understanding the Health Coverage and Affordability Provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act signed into law earlier this month includes a number of provisions aimed at making health coverage more accessible and affordable amid the public health and economic crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Join KFF at a web briefing to explain these changes and their expected impact on consumers, insurance marketplaces, and states.
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How the American Rescue Plan Act Affects Subsidies for Marketplace Shoppers and People Who Are Uninsured
This brief uses data from the American Community Survey (ACS) to provide estimates of eligibility for and the amount of financial assistance to purchase Marketplace coverage under the ARPA among both current individual market purchasers, as well as Marketplace-eligible uninsured people.
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How the American Rescue Plan Will Improve Affordability of Private Health Coverage
This brief explains the various provisions in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) that increase and expand the affordability of coverage for people enrolled in Marketplace health plans or COBRA.
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Impact of Key Provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 COVID-19 Relief on Marketplace Premiums
This data note estimates how tax credits premiums will change for people at various ages and incomes under the temporary boost in subsidies included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the COVID-19 relief plan signed into law in March 2021.
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Updated KFF Calculator Estimates Marketplace Premiums to Reflect Expanded Tax Credits in COVID-19 Relief Legislation
KFF has updated its 2021 Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator to reflect the expanded premium tax credits available to people who purchase their own coverage through their state’s health insurance exchange as passed by Congress in the American Rescue Plan Act and expected to be signed into law soon. The calculator…
News Release Read More KFF Tracking Poll: More Than a Third of Americans Say They’ve Struggled to Pay Living Expenses Since December; 6 in 10 Families Hit by COVID Have Lost A Job or Income
Majorities Favor Provisions to Expand Marketplace Tax Credits and Encourage States to Expand Medicaid As Congress considers an additional $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan, more than a third (37%) of Americans say that someone in their household has had trouble paying basic living expenses over the past three months, the…
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KFF Health Tracking Poll: Economic Hardship, Health Coverage, And The ACA
This poll examines the public’s assessments of the Biden administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the impact COVID-19 has had on people’s finances, and support for provisions of the latest COVID-19 relief bill. It examines the public’s views of the ACA and possible next steps.
Poll Finding Read More Survey: OBGYNs Report That the Affordable Care Act Has Increased Use of Contraceptives Among Patients, but the Cost of Reproductive Health Care Still a Burden for Their Low-Income Patients
This report highlights key findings from the 2020 KFF National Physician Survey on Reproductive Health that asked a nationally representative sample of OBGYNs practicing in the United States about a wide range of issues, including their provision of contraception, abortion, and STI care.
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