The ACA at 8: Resilient but Still at Risk
<p>It’s Obamacare’s birthday. After eight years of relentless pounding, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is still the law of the land. According to Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, M.D., the law’s resilience reflects the fundamental decency of the American people, who refused to allow health coverage to be taken away from their neighbors. </p><p>But this doesn’t mean the law’s future is assured, says Blumenthal in his new <em>To the Point </em>post. Congress, after all, eliminated financial penalties for not having health insurance, which is likely to drive up premiums and the uninsured rate. And the Trump administration is trying to weaken the law by encouraging states to impose new restrictions, like Medicaid work requirements, and by proposing rules allowing health insurers to sell plans that don’t meet ACA benefit standards. </p>
<p>Yet, despite these threats, the ACA’s fundamental elements remain in effect.</p>