Thirteen years ago today, 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.
Since its enactment, the Republican Party has unleashed relentless attacks and legal challenges to health insurance coverage while repeatedly trying to repeal and replace the ACA despite widespread and growing support for the legislation. While Republicans tirelessly work to cut insurance coverage and raise health care costs for families across the United States, the ACA continues to serve as a milestone in the Democratic Party’s century-long struggle to create a universal health care system that leaves no one out.
As we look back on the successes and challenges of the Affordable Care Act, the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is marking the anniversary by releasing a policy brief examining the high-level benefits of the legislation’s implementation and additional policy solutions to bolster the law. The policy brief is titled “A Public Policy Success: The Affordable Care Act and the Road Ahead,” and is authored by PPI’s Director of Health Care Erin Delaney.
In tandem with the policy brief, Delaney sat 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. In a new interview, 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.
Download the policy brief here and listen to the full podcast episode here.
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org. Find an expert at PPI and follow us on twitter.
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Media Contact: Tommy Kaelin; tkaelin@ppionline.org
