Affordable Care Act Celebrates 6th Anniversary Wednesday

Washington, D.C. – President Barak Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law on March 23, 2010. Since the law went into effect, 20 million people have gained health care coverage, according to a recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services. This includes people who got coverage through Medicaid expansion, insurance marketplaces, young adults who stayed on their parents insurance plans and those with pre-existing conditions who previously were priced out of the market or couldn’t get coverage at all. Following is the statement of Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack on the ACA’s 6th Anniversary:

“To understand how successful the ACA has been, you have to put the 20 million people who gained coverage into perspective. That’s the equivalent to the population of the entire state of Florida, or the combined population of 16 states and the District of Columbia. On top of that, the rate of uninsured has dropped 43 percent – from 20.3 percent to 11.5

“Taken together, this is just a remarkable achievement. It’s time for those who continue to oppose the ACA to take an honest look at the program, admit that it’s a success, and then get to work on behalf of their constituents to make it even better.”