The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one of the greatest government success stories in a generation, yet it rarely gets much attention. Despite the United States’ long history of political division, the ACA has seen immense success under the Biden Administration, with a record-breaking 16.3 million people selecting a plan on the ACA marketplaces during the most recent open enrollment period. In this blog post, we will dive into the details of the ACA’s success and the implications for the future of health care in the United States.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently reported a “nearly 50% increase in HealthCare.gov of since President Biden took office.” Additionally, “3.6 million people signed up for health care coverage on the Marketplaces for the first time this year.” Families who purchased insurance in the marketplace saved an average of $800 in premiums in 2022, and more than 90 percent of purchasers had choices from three or more providers.
The Biden Administration has also made a number of improvements to the ACA, such as eliminating the “family glitch” which based an employee’s eligibility for ACA subsidies on his or her individual rate, even if that person was paying for far more expensive family coverage. This fix, which went into effect at the end of 2022, resulted in millions of people gaining eligibility to buy ACA coverage, with almost half of them coming from families of low-income workers.
The success of the ACA has even been seen in red states, where nine of the 10 states with the highest enrollment rates are led by Republicans. This success has led to a record-low 8 percent uninsured rate last year, a testament to the Biden Administration’s competent management of the program and extension of subsidies over united GOP opposition.
The success of the ACA is a reminder that with competent leaders, government policies can help Americans. As Republicans vote against these measures and scream “socialism!”, Democrats should remind the country which party actually helps ordinary people. The ACA is proof that government programs can be effective in providing access to health care, and that success should be celebrated.
Source: www.washingtonpost.com