By Karen Stokes
Chiquita Brooks-Lasure, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator (Photo/Health Evolution)
The Biden-Harris Administration celebrated the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
“Typically we always want to avoid the number thirteen but in this particular case it is not only a lucky thirteen but it’s a record breaking thirteen because today we can say with a great deal of enthusiasm that the ACA is not only working but it’s the best way to keep Americans healthy,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, more than 16 million Americans have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces – an all-time high. We will keep doing everything we can to ensure more people have the peace of mind that comes with high-quality health care. This President is serious in helping all Americans.”
More than 40 million Americans have coverage due to the Affordable Care Act. Today North Carolina became the 40th state to expand access to healthcare through the Medicaid program. Oklahoma is expanding access to maternal healthcare to women and their new babies.
Xavier Becerra, HHS Secretary (Photo/hhs.gov)
“The ACA is truly delivering better health to millions of people no matter the color of their skin, how much money they make or where they live. Thirteen years ago people who didn’t have healthcare coverage through their employer or self couldn’t find affordable coverage,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has consistently taken steps to fulfill President Biden’s promise to make it easier for Americans to find and enroll in affordable, quality coverage,” said Brooks-LaSure. “We have continued to build on the success of the Affordable Care Act by investing in improvements to the health care system. We continue to see that these investments are paying off through record-breaking enrollment overall and a notable increase in Hispanic/Latino enrollment.”
The ASPE report states that nearly 15.6 million consumers were enrolled in Marketplace plans as of February 2023 and 18.8 million people were newly enrolled in Medicaid via the ACA’s expansion of eligibility to adults as of September 2022.