15 years of the Affordable Care Act: What’s changed?

It’s been 15 years since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, better known as Obamacare.

The law’s original goal was simple: make healthcare more affordable and accessible. Before the ACA, nearly 50 million Americans were uninsured, and people with preexisting conditions could be denied coverage. The ACA changed that — it expanded Medicaid, created online marketplaces, and provided subsidies to help people afford premiums.

According to the State Health Access Data Assistance Center, since the ACA’s coverage provisions went into effect in 2013, the number of people with health insurance has grown by more than 38 million, and the nation’s uninsured rate has nearly halved, from 14.4% in 2013 to 7.9% in 2023.

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