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"&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Definition&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is responsible for the most sweeping reforms of the United States\u2019 healthcare system since the 1965 passage of &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;Hb1TeAbuLB0aAlKoEYsFJw&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/medicare-and-medicaid-whats-the-difference-1738507&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What&amp;amp;#39;s the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Medicare and Medicaid&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Background&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Hotly contested along party lines, Republicans opposed the Affordable Care Act, derisively using the term &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-obamacare-1738505&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What, exactly, is Obamacare, anyway?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Obamacare&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; to describe the Act. &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/faqs-about-obamacare-whats-true-whats-not-1738910&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;FAQs About the Healthcare Reform Controversy&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;The controversy&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; continued even after the ACA\u2019s passage with numerous court challenges to the law.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;What &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Are&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; the Reforms?&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Some of the reforms implemented by the &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;8du2vOQkLoAAkSGUQF-a9A&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/affordable-care-act-what-you-should-know-1738904&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Affordable Care Act&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; include establishing &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-health-insurance-exchange-1738734&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What Is a Health Insurance Exchange?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Health Insurance Exchanges&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, or marketplaces, where individuals, families, and small businesses may purchase &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/guaranteed-issue-1738730&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What does guaranteed issue mean?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;guaranteed issue&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; qualified health insurance plans with affordable &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/health-insurance-premiums-1738769&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What Is a Health Insurance Premium?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;premiums&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. These plans satisfy the ACA\u2019s &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-the-individual-mandate-1738739&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What Is the Individual Mandate?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;individual mandate&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; requiring those who don\u2019t have health insurance buy a health insurance policy.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The ACA provides low and middle-income purchasers with &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;NqBhLD7iCyobj_iXNTZRTg&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-to-get-help-paying-for-health-insurance-1738500&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;How To Get Help Paying for Health Insurance&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;9&amp;quot;&amp;gt;subsidies to make buying health insurance more affordable&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. At the same time, it imposes a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-shared-responsibility-payment-1738782&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What Is the Shared Responsibility Payment Tax Penalty?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;10&amp;quot;&amp;gt;tax penalty&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; on those who remain uninsured; the penalty took effect in 2014, and gradually ramped up to its maximum level by 2016, although it will continue to be adjusted for inflation going forward.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The ACA prevents insurers from refusing to cover people with a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/understanding-pre-existing-conditions-1738432&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;Pre-Existing Condition\u2014What It Is &amp;amp;amp; Why It\u2019s a Big Deal&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;11&amp;quot;&amp;gt;pre-existing condition&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, or from charging them higher premiums because of a pre-existing condition. This is true both on and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/off-exchange-health-plans-are-aca-compliant-too-4022922&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;12&amp;quot;&amp;gt;off the exchanges&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, and represents a significant change from how the individual market functioned prior to 2014 in &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8327.pdf&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;13&amp;quot;&amp;gt;nearly every state&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The ACA eliminated annual and lifetime caps on how much an insurance company will pay for an insured\u2019s covered health care, and limits &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/no-more-lifetime-or-annual-benefit-maximums-but-caveats-apply-1738966&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;Out-Of-Pocket Maximum--How It Works &amp;amp;amp; Why to Beware &amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;14&amp;quot;&amp;gt;out-of-pocket maximums&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The ACA requires health insurance plans in the individual and small group markets to cover &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-covered-under-obamacare-4083032&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;15&amp;quot;&amp;gt;ten essential health benefits&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. One of the essential health benefit categories is preventive care, and a wide range of\u00A0&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/preventive-care-whats-free-whats-not-1739003&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;Preventive Care--What&amp;amp;#39;s Free &amp;amp;amp; What&amp;amp;#39;s Not&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;16&amp;quot;&amp;gt;preventive care&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0services are required to be covered with no &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-cost-sharing-1738709&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;17&amp;quot;&amp;gt;cost-sharing&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The ACA requires large employers\u2014those with 50 or more &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.healthcare.gov/shop-calculators-fte/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;18&amp;quot;&amp;gt;full-time equivalent employees&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u2014to offer affordable, minimum value health insurance to all full-time (30&amp;amp;#43; hours per week) employees, or risk a penalty under the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-obamacare-changed-employer-sponsored-insurance-1738955&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;19&amp;quot;&amp;gt;employer shared responsibility provision&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Employers must ensure that the coverage is considered affordable for the employee, but there&amp;amp;#39;s no affordability test for the cost of covering family members under the plan. Because of how this works and how subsidy availability is determined in the exchanges, some people are unable to obtain affordable coverage due to what&amp;amp;#39;s referred to as the &amp;amp;#34;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/aca-family-glitch-1738950&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;20&amp;quot;&amp;gt;family glitch&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;amp;#34;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Some Parts of the Affordable Care Act Have Been Delayed or Eliminated&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Some parts of the ACA will never be implemented: The Supreme Court &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://khn.org/news/supreme-court-upholds-individual-mandate/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;21&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;disallowed&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; a provision that would have withdrawn federal Medicaid funding to states that didn\u2019t offer &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/medicaid-what-is-it-1738746&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What&amp;amp;#39;s Medicaid?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;22&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Medicaid&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; to more people. This has resulted in a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/medicaid-expansion-and-the-coverage-gap-2318683&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;23&amp;quot;&amp;gt;coverage gap&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, whereby nearly three million people in &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2016/02/10/the-inevitable-expansion-of-the-medicaid-expansion/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;24&amp;quot;&amp;gt;18 states&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; essentially have no realistic access to coverage.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Additionally, Congress repealed the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/long-term-care-an-overview-1738832&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;Long Term Care--an Overview&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;25&amp;quot;&amp;gt;long-term care&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; provision of the ACA, known as the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/affordable-care-act-what-you-should-know-1738904&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;CLASS Act Overview&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;26&amp;quot;&amp;gt;CLASS Act&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, in January 2013 after the Department of Health and Human Services determined it was unworkable.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Numerous aspects of the ACA were delayed, including the employer shared responsibility provision (it took effect in 2015, rather than 2014, and wasn&amp;amp;#39;t fully phased in until 2016), the Cadillac Tax (now set to take effect in 2020), and the termination of non-grandfathered, non-ACA-compliant plans that were issued prior to 2014 (these plans are &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/things-you-need-to-know-about-grandmothered-health-plans-3880478&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;27&amp;quot;&amp;gt;transitional, or &amp;amp;#34;grandmothered&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;,&amp;amp;#34; and they&amp;amp;#39;re allowed to continue in force until the end of 2017, at the discretion of states and health insurers).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Also Known As: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the PPACA, the ACA, Obamacare, &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;KDdpGgPh_lTk_WPYyi5Ixw&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/affordable-care-act-and-obamacare-4013112&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;Learn more about healthcare reform, the Affordable care Act, and Obamacare. See the directory of articles on the Affordable Care Act at About.com&amp;amp;#39;s Health Insurance information site.&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;28&amp;quot;&amp;gt;healthcare reform&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;cite&amp;gt;Sources:&amp;lt;/cite&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;cite&amp;gt;Department of Health and Human Services, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ppacacon.pdf&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;29&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Compilation of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Accessed 9/19/2016.&amp;lt;/cite&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;cite&amp;gt;Kaiser Family Foundation, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8347.pdf&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;30&amp;quot;&amp;gt;A Guide to the Supreme Court&amp;amp;#39;s Ruling on the ACA&amp;amp;#39;s Medicaid Expansion&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, August 2012. Accessed 9/19/2016.&amp;lt;/cite&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;cite&amp;gt;Lemieux, Jeff; and Moutray, Chad, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2016/04/25/about-that-cadillac-tax/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;31&amp;quot;&amp;gt;About That Cadillac Tax&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, Health Affairs, April 25, 2016. Accessed 9/19/2016.&amp;lt;/cite&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.verywell.com/the-affordable-care-act-what-is-it-1738452>