The Affordable Care Act will ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and significantly reduce long-term health care costs. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has determined that it will provide coverage to 32 million more people, or more than 94% of Americans, while lowering health care costs over the long term. This historic legislation will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years, with $1.2 trillion in additional deficit reduction in the following 10 years.
What the legislation does for you:
Health insurance reform puts American families and small business owners—not the insurance companies—in control of their own health care.
Making health insurance affordable for middle class and small businesses—one of largest tax cuts for health care in history—reducing premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
Giving millions of Americans access to affordable insurance choices just as big businesses have—through a new competitive health insurance market that keeps costs down.
Holding insurance companies accountable to keep premiums down and prevent denials of care and coverage, including for pre-existing conditions.
Improving Medicare benefits with lower prescription drug costs for those in the ‘donut hole,’ better chronic care, free preventive care, and nearly a decade more of solvency for Medicare.
Reducing the deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years, and by $1.2 trillion more over the following decade; reining in waste, fraud and abuse, paying for quality over quantity of care.
Failure to enact reform would have meant continued double digit premium increases—some as high as 60%, arbitrary loss of coverage, and huge increases in the national deficit.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
- On February 25th, House and Senate leaders of both parties met with President Obama at the Blair House to discuss moving forward with comprehensive health reform.
- On March 18th, House Democrats unveiled legislation to improve the Senate-passed bill achieving our three key goals—affordability for the middle class, accessibility for all Americans, and accountability for the insurance industry.
- On March 21st, the House passed the Affordable Care Act by a vote of 219 to 212—sending it to the President for his signature into law on March 23rd.
- The House also passed the Reconciliation bill to improve the Affordable Care Act by a vote of 220 to 211 on the 21st—which the Senate passed on March 25th, with two small changes, and it returned to the House later that evening, passing by a vote of 220-207.
- The President signed the Reconciliation bill into law on March 30th.
- Watch Speaker Pelosi’s floor speech»
- Watch the enrollment ceremony where the Speaker signed the legislation and sent it to the President»
- Watch the signing ceremony for the legislation where the President signed the legislation into law»
- Get the latest news on the implementation of health insurance reform on our blog, the Gavel»
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LEGISLATION
How Reform Works For You:
- How Reform Works For You»
- Immediate Benefits»
- Guide for Seniors»
- Guide for Small Businesses»
- Women Have the Most to Gain»
- What’s in it for Young Americans»
- 8 Great Ways Student Aid and Health Reform Works for Young Americans»
Bill Text:
- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148)»
- Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152)»
Bill Summaries:
- 3 Page Summary of the final health insurance reform legislation»
- Section by Section Analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, As Amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (Senate DPC document)»
- Detailed Summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, As Amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (Senate DPC document)»
- Reconciliation Bill Makes Key Improvements To Senate-passed Bill»
- Summary of the Manager’s Amendment»
- Section by Section Analysis of the Reconciliation Act»
CBO Score:
Summary Documents:
- Immediate Benefits»
- Timeline for Implementation»
- Cost of Inaction»
- Health Care By the Numbers: Open & Transparent Process»
- Health Care By The Numbers: Why We Need Reform»
- District By District Impact»
Provisions At A Glance:
Consumer Protections/Benefits/Wellness
Exchanges
Shared Responsibility & Affordability
- Making Coverage Affordable»
- Estimated Savings For Families»
- Maintaining & Improving Medicaid»
- Shared Responsibility»
Lowering Costs
Strengthening Medicare
- Strengthening Medicare»
- Medicare Part D/Closing the Donut Hole»
- Curbing Taxpayer Subsidies for Medicare Advantage»
For Businesses
Health Workforce
By Demographic
- Addressing Health and Health Care Disparities»
- Rural America & Reform»
- Seniors»
- Women»
- Young Americans»
- Small Businesses»
Paying for Reform
Support:
- Statement of Administration Policy»
- List of Organizations Expressing Support For Health Reform Legislation»
Around the Web:
- Health insurance reform on our blog, The Gavel»
- Health reform fact checking and mythbusting»
- Get breaking updates on Twitter at twitter.com/healthreformnow »
- Visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HealthReform »
- See history of actions on previous health insurance reform legislation in the House»
- What health reform means for you on WhiteHouse.gov»
- HealthReform.gov»
- Majority Leader Hoyer's Clearinghouse»
- Energy and Commerce Committee»
- Ways and Means Committee»
- Education and Labor Committee»