Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) successfully expanded access to health insurance for millions of Americans, increased coverage affordability, strengthened the value of health insurance, and established critical consumer protections. The Center for American Progress played a role in the development of the ACA and supports and advocates for policies that build on its successes.

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How Congressional Republicans’ Health Care Plans Will Spike Health Insurance Premiums for Older Adults Article
The rising sun flares through the windows of the U.S. Capitol Dome.

How Congressional Republicans’ Health Care Plans Will Spike Health Insurance Premiums for Older Adults

Congressional Republican plans to slash Medicaid funding and allow the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to expire will significantly raise insurance costs for older Americans with marketplace coverage.

How the Affordable Care Act Improved Access to Preventive Health Services Report
Woman lifting smiling daughter into the air

How the Affordable Care Act Improved Access to Preventive Health Services

Congress must protect and build on the Affordable Care Act’s provisions related to disease prevention and health promotion over and beyond the law’s historic health coverage expansions—particularly in light of the recent Braidwood v. Becerra decision.

Marquisha Johns, Jill Rosenthal

Event Recap: Affordability Beyond Premiums Article
Registered nurses sit at their desks while working at a medical center.

Event Recap: Affordability Beyond Premiums

The first session in the Center for American Progress’ state health care affordability series highlighted policies in New Mexico, California, and New Jersey to lower out-of-pocket costs for marketplace enrollees.

Natasha Murphy

2024 Affordable Care Act Marketplace Plan Selections by Congressional District Interactive
A staff nurse checks a patient at a hospital.

2024 Affordable Care Act Marketplace Plan Selections by Congressional District

A new CAP interactive explores the proportion of nonelderly people who made federally facilitated marketplace plan selections during the 2024 open enrollment period by congressional district. Without congressional action, consumers will lose the enhanced financial assistance that supported record levels of enrollment.

Nicole Rapfogel

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference Past Event
CAP IDEAS Conference logo

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference

Join the Center for American Progress as we celebrate 20 years of innovative policy solutions and look boldly forward to a progressive future.

13 Years Later: The Affordable Care Act’s Enduring Legacy In the News

13 Years Later: The Affordable Care Act’s Enduring Legacy

This collection features stories from Americans whose lives were changed by the Affordable Care Act.

the Center for American Progress Action Fund

Recover, Rebuild, Reform: Stories of Americans Affected by the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act Article

Recover, Rebuild, Reform: Stories of Americans Affected by the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act

This CAP Action collection features stories from people in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire whose lives have been improved by the legislation passed during the Biden administration’s first two years.

the Center for American Progress Action Fund

The Inflation Reduction Act: What It All Means Past Event

The Inflation Reduction Act: What It All Means

Please join the Center for American Progress for a multipanel discussion with OMB Director Shalanda Young, one of the key officials responsible for implementing the IRA, and everyday Americans about the Inflation Reduction Act and what it will mean for the United States and the American people.

Advancing Health Care Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBTQI+ Communities Report
A woman wears a pride flag in her hair in Manassas, Virginia.

Advancing Health Care Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBTQI+ Communities

New data reveal that LGBTQI+ communities encounter discrimination and other challenges when interacting with health care providers and health insurers, underscoring the importance of strengthening nondiscrimination protections through Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.

Caroline Medina, Lindsay Mahowald

Preventing Disruptions to Coverage and Care After the Public Health Emergency Report
A doctor, right, comforts an 8-year-old boy after his first vaccine shot as his mother looks on at a clinic in Denver.

Preventing Disruptions to Coverage and Care After the Public Health Emergency

As the conclusion of the national public health emergency looms, state and federal policymakers should improve continuity of care for millions of Medicaid enrollees facing disenrollment and preserve critical access to COVID-19 testing and treatment.

Natasha Murphy, Nicole Rapfogel

Strengthening Federal Network Adequacy Requirements for ACA Marketplace Plans Report
A man holds his wife's hand after she returns from the hospital, where doctors performed an emergency cesarean section.

Strengthening Federal Network Adequacy Requirements for ACA Marketplace Plans

In order to improve maternal health care access and outcomes for millions of pregnant and postpartum people in the United States, the federal government must ensure that health insurance plans available through the ACA marketplace offer robust maternity care provider networks.

Carolyn Sabini, Elyssa Spitzer, Osub Ahmed

The Medicaid Coverage Gap Requires Permanent Closure Article
A mother sits with her 3-week-old son in the waiting room of a health center that offers health services to uninsured and underserved people in Denver, March 2017. (Getty/Jason Connolly/AFP)

The Medicaid Coverage Gap Requires Permanent Closure

The Medicaid coverage gap, which leaves more than 2 million people uninsured, must be closed with a comprehensive, permanent solution.

Nicole Rapfogel, Emily Gee

Building On the ACA To Reduce Health Insurance Disruptions Report
A file cabinet with color coded folders is seen in a doctor's office. (Getty/Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group)

Building On the ACA To Reduce Health Insurance Disruptions

Federal and state policymakers must act to lower health insurance churn rates, improve continuity of care, and limit coverage gaps.

Nicole Rapfogel

Building on the ACA: Administrative Actions to Improve Maternal Health Report

Building on the ACA: Administrative Actions to Improve Maternal Health

The United States’ maternal health crisis demands federal and state action to improve coverage, the delivery of care, and pregnancy outcomes. The cost of inaction will almost certainly be dire.

Jamille Fields Allsbrook, Osub Ahmed

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Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice
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Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy
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Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must act to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.

Strengthening Health
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Strengthening Health

We work to strengthen public health systems and improve health care coverage, access, and affordability.

Building an Economy for All
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Building an Economy for All

Economic growth must be built on the foundation of a strong and secure middle class so that all Americans benefit from growth.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice
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Advancing Racial Equity and Justice

We apply a racial equity lens in developing and advancing policies that aim to root out entrenched systemic racism to ensure everyone has an opportunity to thrive.

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