Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on March 23, Protect Our Care is holding 10 days of action to raise awareness of the most critical components of the law which has improved the lives of millions of Americans. Working with partner organizations and health care advocates, Protect Our Care will highlight a different aspect of the law each day while making clear what’s at stake if the Trump administration is successful in overturning the law through the courts.
“The Affordable Care Act has been an incredibly positive force for Americans over the last 10 years, particularly for children who have seen significant gains in coverage and access to health care,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Over the course of these 10 days of action, Protect Our Care will remind Americans how the ACA has improved the lives of millions while making clear that President Trump and Republicans’ lawsuit to overturn the law poses an existential threat to Americans’ health care.”
Days of Action: Day 2 of 10 focuses on Children’s Coverage. To learn more about our days of action, visit our website.
Thanks To The ACA:
- Almost three million children nationwide gained coverage thanks to the ACA.
- More than 17 million children with pre-existing conditions are protected from discrimination. Insurance companies are banned from excluding benefits, raising premiums, or denying all coverage altogether for children with conditions like asthma and diabetes.
- More than 40 million children who have private insurance have guaranteed access to free preventive care. Additionally, the ACA protects children from lifetime and annual limits.
- 2.3 million young adults are able to stay on their parents’ insurance.
Medicaid Expansion Helps Children:
The ACA improved children’s coverage by increasing the federal matching rate for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and standardizing—and in many states, expanding—Medicaid eligibility for children. The ACA also ensures that states provide Medicaid coverage to children in foster care up to age 26. Additionally, research confirms expanding access to Medicaid for parents has had ripple effects for their children:
When Parents Have Medicaid, Their Children Are More Likely To Have Regular Care. As summarized by Georgetown University’s Center on Children and Families, recent research finds that “Parents enrolled in Medicaid have children who are 29 percentage points more likely to receive a well-child visit. The relationship is strongest for families with household incomes between 100% and 200% [of the federal poverty line]. In these families, parents enrolled in Medicaid have children who are 45 percentage points more likely to receive a well-child visit.” [Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, 1/12/18]
Medicaid Expansion Led To Gains In Coverage For Children As Well As Parents. A study in Health Affairs found that “710,000 children gained public coverage when their parents enrolled in Medicaid between 2013 and 2015. If the remaining 19 non-expansion states expanded Medicaid, 200,000 additional children would gain health coverage through existing programs. The effect was largest among children whose parents gained Medicaid eligibility through the expansion.” [Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, 1/12/18]