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, but particularly for the 20 million who have gained health insurance through the law,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Over the course of the next 10 days, Protect Our Care will travel across the country to 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 1 of 10 focuses on Coverage For More Than 20 Million. To learn more about our days of action, visit our website.
Where U.S. Health Care Stands A Decade After Passing Of The Affordable Care Act:
- GAINED: Protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions.
- GAINED: Medicaid expansion, which covers 17 million people.
- GAINED: Nearly 12 million seniors pay less for prescription drugs.
- GAINED: 2.3 million adult children are able to stay on their parents’ insurance.
- GAINED: Three million children nationwide gained coverage.
- GAINED: Insurance companies are banned from charging women 50 percent more than men.
- GAINED: Financial assistance that helps 9 million people purchase health care in the marketplace.
- GAINED: Key support for rural hospitals.
- GAINED: Ban on insurance companies having lifetime caps on coverage.
GAINED: Requirements that insurance companies cover prescription drugs and maternity care.
Thanks To The Republican Lawsuit, 20 Million People Could Lose Their Coverage.
- According to the Urban Institute, 19.9 million people could lose coverage by repealing the Affordable Care Act, meaning the number of uninsured Americans would increase from 30.4 million to 50.3 million, representing a leading to a 65 percent increase in the uninsured rate. As the uninsured rate swells, so will the amount of uncompensated care, which Urban predicts will grow by at least 82 percent.
If The Texas Lawsuit Succeeds, The Individual Marketplace And Financial Assistance That Helps Individuals Purchase Health Insurance Will Be Eliminated.
- 11 Million People With Comprehensive Insurance Through The ACA Marketplace Could Lose Their Coverage. Without the ACA, more than 11 million people nationwide enrolled in the individual marketplace could lose coverage.
- Nine Million People In The Marketplaces Would Pay More For Coverage. Nearly 9 million people would lose financial assistance that helps them purchase health care in the marketplace. In 2019, the average monthly premium tax credit was $514.