The Role of Waivers in the Affordable Care Act

Testimony Before the House Subcommittee on Health Care, Distict of Columbia, Census, and the National Archives

By Judy Feder | March 15, 2011

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SOURCE:Center for American Progress

CAP Action's Judy Feder testifies before the House Subcommittee on Health Care, Distict of Columbia, Census, and the National Archives. Read the full testimony at CAP Action

Mr. Chairman, members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today on the Affordable Care Act. My testimony reflects more than 30 years of experience—primarily at Georgetown University—exploring how best to address the widely recognized shortcomings of our health insurance system. Over that period, health insurance has become increasingly unaffordable; today an estimated 50 million people are uninsured and unable to afford health care when they need it. An ever-growing body of literature demonstrates that, without health insurance, people get care later, get less care, and are at greater risk of death than people who have health insurance. In short, assuring Americans affordable health insurance matters enormously to the health and well-being of Americans.

Almost exactly a year ago, the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, was enacted to provide that assurance. The law assures most, if not all, Americans essential health insurance coverage by building upon, not replacing, the current health insurance system—securing what works and fixing what doesn’t. Put simply, the ACA strengthens the employer-sponsored health insurance that most Americans count on and will cover over 30 million more Americans by making insurance available and affordable to people that today’s system leaves uninsured (most of whom are low-wage workers whose employers don’t offer health insurance).

Read Judy Feder's full testimony at CAP Action.