Thirteen years ago, President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress fundamentally transformed the U.S. health care system by providing health insurance coverage that curbed costs and expanded access to millions of Americans. While challenges remain to strengthen the legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains entrenched as a permanent feature of America’s hybrid, public-private health care system, and continues to deliver on its promise to provide near-universal coverage to Americans at an affordable cost.
As we look back on the successes and challenges of the Affordable Care Act, the Progressive Policy Institute’s Director of Health Care Erin Delaney sits down with former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to reflect on the landmark passage of the ACA and the critical role it played in providing essential coverage to millions of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Delaney and Secretary Sebelius look back on the path — 13 years ago — that led to one of the most consequential pieces of health care legislation to be enacted in this country.
