The Affordable Care Act
Committee Democrats believe that every American should have access to affordable, high-quality health care.
The enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 was an important step toward improving the quality of care and expanding access to coverage for every individual and their family. Because of the Affordable Care Act:
- If you are a young adult, you can now stay on your parents' health plan until your 26th birthday, if you do not have coverage of your own.
- If you an eligible small businesses, you may be able to receive tax credits if you choose to offer coverage to your employees through the small business marketplace - covering up to 50 percent of the cost of coverage.
- Your insurance company can no longer place a lifetime limit on your coverage.
- Under Medicare Part D, you will receive a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs.
- You can no longer be dropped from coverage by your insurance company simply because you get sick.
- Insurance plans are required to provide essential health benefits, such as preventative services and mental health support.
Democrats strengthened the ACA through the Inflation Reduction Act. This legislation lowers the costs for millions of people who purchase health coverage on their own by extending the enhanced financial assistance made available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) through 2025. By making premium tax credits newly available to more middle-class families and improving the generosity of financial help for those previously eligible, the ARP helped drive marketplace enrollment to a record high of 14.5 million and the U.S. uninsurance rate to an all-time low of just 8 percent.