Affordable Care Act

Medicaid helps fill gaps in coverage for veterans who are low-income, have disabilities, or are otherwise ineligible for military health benefits. It supports those with complex health needs and reduces out-of-pocket expenses. This brief presents five key facts about veterans with Medicaid and how policy changes in Congress could affect their coverage and access to care.

This analysis looks at the share of family income people with employer-based coverage pay toward their premiums and out-of-pocket payments for medical care. The cost of employer sponsored health insurance—including premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs—has risen steadily over time.

This brief evaluates what is currently known about fraud and abuse in the Affordable Car Act (ACA) Marketplace, including how the final Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Rule and proposed budget reconciliation legislation would change existing Marketplace enrollment and eligibility standards.

On June 27, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion on Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, ruling that the ACA requirement that most private insurers and Medicaid expansion programs to cover preventive services recommended by the United States Preventive Services Preventive Task Force (USPSTF) with no cost-sharing is constitutional.

This brief estimates the number of current Marketplace enrollees with a mental health diagnosis to understand what changes in enrollment may mean for access to services. Among the 24.3 million Marketplace enrollees in 2025, over 4.4 million individuals are estimated to have at least one mental health diagnosis on a health care claim.

Proposed changes in eligibility rules in both SNAP and Medicaid may jeopardize some people’s access to both adequate food and health care if various provisions of the bill take effect, in part because there is a significant overlap in eligibility requirements for Medicaid and SNAP across states. Four in 10 (40%) Medicaid enrollees receive SNAP benefits.

The Trump Administration and Congress are moving quickly to pass legislation that could have significant implications for health coverage of older Americans. The House-passed reconciliation bill awaiting action by the full Senate, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, includes several provisions that would affect health insurance coverage and well-being of older adults ages 50 and older, including those who are covered by Medicare.

The House of Representatives recently passed a budget reconciliation bill that would appropriate funding for cost-sharing reductions that insurers are required to provide to low-income enrollees in the Affordable Care Act marketplace. This policy watch explains what these cost-sharing reductions are, how they relate to federal spending, and what effect appropriating funding might have on premiums and the uninsured rate.

This brief looks at changes to Marketplace plans recently finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that may incentivize insurers to make their plans less generous. With less generous plans, consumers could face higher out-of-pocket costs, though those who don’t qualify for premium tax credits could see lower premiums.

This analysis details the number of people who would become uninsured from policy changes in the ACA Marketplaces and Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, taken together, these changes will result in 16 million more uninsured people in the year 2034 than would otherwise be the case.