Even after several attempts at repeal, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains popular with most Americans. It helps people afford coverage and protects those with preexisting conditions while stimulating the economy by enabling more families to spend money at local businesses.
Republican members remain committed to repealing the law and have launched legal challenges that have reached the Supreme Court.
What is Obamacare?
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed in 2010, has provided health coverage to millions of Americans since then and ensured they were not discriminated against due to preexisting medical conditions.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) offers private health insurance through exchanges or marketplaces and provides subsidies to help people afford premiums. In most states, Medicaid coverage was expanded as well as requirements that insurers cover certain services like cancer screenings without additional charges.
Striking down the Affordable Care Act would have dire repercussions for families. Without health coverage, families would have less money available for things such as groceries and rent payments, leading to further job loss during a national public health emergency such as COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, this would mean 20 million currently covered individuals could lose coverage; something which should never happen.
How did it work?
The Affordable Care Act has enabled millions of Americans to gain health coverage, reform the system and make care more accessible; but not without some challenges along the way.
First and foremost was getting people signed up for Obamacare. Unfortunately, the website created to assist consumers was plagued with numerous glitches and delays at launch time.
Another challenge was making sure those who signed up actually used their coverage. Some individuals didn’t use their health insurance at all or only sparingly, necessitating additional funds to encourage people to use it more regularly.
The Affordable Care Act also established guidelines for how insurance companies spend their money, mandating that at least 80% of premium dollars be spent on medical care and quality improvement if possible; otherwise they must refund it back to customers as part of a refund program. Furthermore, federal subsidies have increased substantially to help people afford coverage.
How will it affect me?
The Affordable Care Act makes it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against people with preexisting conditions; should it be repealed, these protections could be lifted and millions of Americans could lose health coverage.
Congressional Republicans have repeatedly attempted to pass bills to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), yet none of them have succeeded. Instead, they are shifting focus towards overturning it through court challenges; as part of this strategy they are quickly filling Justice Ginsburg’s seat with someone more inclined towards supporting President Donald Trump’s attempt at overthrowing it.
Removing the Affordable Care Act during a recession would have even greater adverse repercussions for people’s access to care and financial security. Millions of families that receive health coverage through the ACA marketplace and Medicaid expansion would lose it; furthermore, less money being spent at local businesses would lead to job loss – creating further anxiety about repeal of ACA. That is why so many are fearful about any repeal attempt of it.
Will it be repealed?
The Trump Administration and Republican state attorneys general are currently undertaking legal efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act through court challenges, which would have devastating repercussions if successful.
Millions of families across the nation rely on the Affordable Care Act for health and financial security, and its repeal would leave millions with nothing in its place – particularly young adults, who could lose coverage under its Dependency Provision allowing them to remain on their parents’ insurance up until age 26 and other provisions offered through marketplace coverage options or otherwise.
Millions of seniors also rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to keep prescription drug costs manageable, including closing the Medicare Part D “donut hole.” Indeed, research shows that it has saved Americans money on health care costs; that is why most don’t want it repealed; that also holds true with regard to Supreme Court decisions on this topic – all have not voted against overturning it in their rulings on it.
