ACA Provides Critical Health Care Protections, Is Invaluable Lifeline for Americans During the Pandemic
Washington, DC — On the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) joined Protect Our Care and a health care storyteller from Georgia for an online event about how the health care law has benefitted millions of Americans since its passage, and the work still needed to ensure all Americans have access to affordable, quality health care. During the event, speakers covered the historic nature of the ACA, its impact on Americans’ lives, and how the law is stronger than ever after the enhancements passed in the American Rescue Plan, which further expand coverage and lower costs.
“For eleven years, the landmark Affordable Care Act has expanded coverage, lowered costs and secured lifesaving protections for hard-working families,” said House Speaker Pelosi. “Today, the ACA stands as a great pillar of economic and health security for the American people, alongside Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Democrats will continue to work For The People to build on the Affordable Care Act to lower health costs and prescription drug prices for all Americans. On this anniversary, Democrats renew our commitment to strengthen and expand the ACA’s lifesaving protections – because quality, affordable health care must be a right, not a privilege, for all.”
“Today, on the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, we can proudly say our health care law is better and stronger than ever!” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “The ACA has meant the difference between life and death for millions of people across the country. Because Democrats fought for this law, Americans can’t be denied coverage or dropped by their insurance company if they have a pre-existing condition. Democrats are building on the strong foundation of the ACA with the American Rescue Plan, which includes the most significant health care expansion in a decade, and we will continue working to ensure every American has access to quality, affordable health care.”
“Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer worked tirelessly to pass and protect the Affordable Care Act — and now the American Rescue Plan. Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan without a single Republican vote even though the law enjoys overwhelmingly bipartisan support among voters,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “The American Rescue Plan is the boldest expansion of health care in a decade and has historic provisions to reduce premiums for millions of Americans, including those who lost their jobs during the pandemic, and invest in addressing racial disparities in our health care system. The Affordable Care Act and the American Rescue Plan are changing people’s lives by making sure they can get the health care they need, and Protect Our Care looks forward to working with Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer to pass legislation that reduces prescription drug costs and further expands coverage.”
“For the past 11 years, the ACA has been a tremendous lifeline for me because I’ve lived the last decade and then some with several pre-existing medical conditions that range across the spectrum of autoimmune illnesses, and President Biden signing the American Rescue Plan has given me new hope,” said Himali Patel, a Georgia small business owner negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “With the American Rescue Plan, getting the coverage I need through the Affordable Care Act is going to be even less expensive than it was before. My premiums are going down to almost zero.”