
The Affordable Care Act has helped millions of Americans afford health coverage. Additionally, it has reduced prescription costs – such as those fighting COVID-19 – while closing Medicare’s “donut hole”.
Repeal of the Affordable Care Act would be disastrous for New York families that rely on its affordable health coverage, and would undermine key ACA reforms which expand access to medical care while protecting patients with preexisting conditions.
1. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010.
President Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare, on March 23, 2010. This act aimed to provide Americans with access to quality, cost-effective healthcare by expanding Medicaid eligibility and offering tax credits to assist lower income individuals buy individual market coverage as well as eliminating annual limits on coverage.
The Affordable Care Act also prevents insurers from discriminating against individuals with preexisting conditions and gender, and requires all health plans to cover preventive services. Many have benefited from these reforms and would have experienced higher healthcare costs without them.
The Affordable Care Act’s most contentious provision was the individual mandate, which mandated people to purchase insurance or pay a penalty. Congress eventually eliminated this penalty through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017; now it rests with the Supreme Court, who will decide its fate later this year; many experts fear striking down this law could result in 20 million people losing coverage during recessionary conditions.
2. The Affordable Care Act was repealed by President Trump on March 23, 2017.
The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, revolutionized American healthcare system by making coverage more accessible for millions of Americans while decreasing health-care costs for many families. But despite all these advantages, its implementation remains divisive; Republicans have long campaigned against its repeal.
At one point in their legal fight against the Affordable Care Act (ACA), opponents used its individual mandate–which requires everyone to either have health insurance or pay a penalty–as one key argument against it. But a federal judge found this argument invalid due to Congress having recently abolished any penalty payments due to zeroing out this mandate penalty.
Experts predict that if the Affordable Care Act were repealed, it would lead to an increase in uninsured Americans in the US, meaning more would not receive preventive or curative healthcare treatments, leading to potentially worse health outcomes as well as negatively affecting the economy. At such an important juncture in time, experts argue it would not be wise for Americans to lose coverage due to COVID-19 pandemic.
3. The Affordable Care Act was repealed by the United States Congress on March 23, 2021.
President Trump has pledged repeatedly to repeal Obamacare, yet many believe that this won’t occur due to current challenges centered on only part of it (individual mandate) rather than other aspects such as Medicare expansion or employer-provided birth control coverage.
Also important is remembering that the Affordable Care Act has contributed substantially to job growth since its implementation. Since ACA implementation, health care jobs have grown by 9%; in fact, one recent study concluded that its repeal would cost 2.6 million jobs within this industry alone.
Furthermore, the Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with preexisting conditions or charging older adults more for coverage. If these safeguards were removed, millions of Americans could experience skyrocketing premiums and reverse of consumer benefits such as Medicare’s “donut hole” gap filler.
4. The Affordable Care Act was repealed by the United States Supreme Court on June 20, 2021.
Supreme Court justices unanimously upheld a Republican state attorneys general lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act, upholding health insurance coverage for millions of Americans. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the majority opinion, while Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch issued separate dissenting opinions.
The case revolved around the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate, which requires individuals to possess health insurance or face penalties. GOP states argued that this mandate was unconstitutional because Congress does not possess the power to impose taxes under the commerce clause of the Constitution; furthermore, their position was that ACA provisions such as pre-existing condition protections and Medicaid expansion would become inapplicable without it.
The Supreme Court dismissed this argument, noting that the individual mandate of the ACA was not a tax and Congress had not repealed or replaced it in any way. Furthermore, long-standing legal principles indicate that only Congress has the authority to repeal or replace this act.