Former President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act into law (Photo/Obama Foundation)
By Karen Stokes
Fourteen years ago, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) into law. A bill that has been called the most important piece of legislation since Medicare and Medicaid.
A new report indicates that nearly 50 million people have accessed coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace over the past decade, accounting for roughly 1 in 7 Americans. Black enrollment in health care coverage has increased by 49 percent, leading to significant savings of hundreds of dollars per year for millions of people.
The Affordable Care Act is more popular than ever, and coverage is more affordable than ever.
The Biden-Harris Administration has implemented strategies to increase enrollment for African Americans.
“First and most importantly we have dramatically lower premiums for ACA coverage. So, premiums are down about $800 a person per year because of changes made in this administration that made financial assistance more generous. So that made coverage a lot more affordable than it used to be,” said Christen Linke Young, Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. “The second piece is outreach and enrollment assistance. The Trump administration nearly zeroed out the advertising budget for public outreach to make people aware of the ACA. They slashed the budget by 90 percent for in-person enrollment assistance and we went back to one of the most aggressive advertising that was ever seen to make sure people were well aware of their health insurance options and we quadrupled the budget. The last big thing is getting rid of the paperwork and red tape that prevents people from being able to enroll the Trump Administration went out of their way to put up extra barriers that would require people to provide paper documentation. Now it’s easier to apply.”
The Biden-Harris Administration is placing new requirements on health plans that will improve and strengthen access to mental health care for 175 million Americans with private health insurance.
“Mental health care IS health care. But for far too many Americans, critical care and treatments are out of reach. Today, my Administration is taking action to address our nation’s mental health crisis by ensuring mental health coverage will be covered at the same level as other health care for Americans. There is no reason that breaking your arm should be treated differently than having a mental health condition. The steps my Administration is taking today will dramatically expand access to mental health care in America,” said President Biden in a statement.
As of January 9, 2017, the Congressional Research Service report entitled “Legislative Actions to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act,” noted that since the ACA was passed in 2010, Congress has been deeply divided over the ACA. At least 70 Republican-led attempts to repeal, modify, or otherwise curb the Affordable Care Act since its inception as law on March 23, 2010.
Repealing the ACA would result in 45 million people losing health insurance coverage immediately, with the negative effects compounding each year.
“We know Republican officials will stop at nothing to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, ripping health coverage away from Americans in every part of our country. While they try to take us backward, we’ll keep fighting for the future,” President Biden said.