Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive health reform law that was enacted in March 2010. The law includes provisions to increase access to health insurance, control health care costs, provide more protections for people who have insurance, and improve the health care delivery system. Some key parts of the law include:

  • Ability to compare plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace
  • Financial assistance to help buy coverage
  • All plans must now have essential health benefits
  • All preventive services are free
  • Young adults can stay on their parents’ health coverage until age 26
  • No more pre-existing condition exclusions
  • No more lifetime or annual caps on covered services
  • Closes the Medicare doughnut hole
  • Limits on out-of-pocket costs

As part of the ACA, all U.S. citizens and lawfully present residents must have health insurance, qualify for an exemption, or face a penalty. For information on enrolling in coverage, please visit our Health Insurance Marketplace page. For more information on exemptions, go here; for more information on the penalty, go here.

Affordable Care Act Basics
How the Affordable Care Act is Working