What is considered a main point of the Affordable Care Act?

Asked by: Beatrice Lesch  |  Last update: September 21, 2025
Score: 5/5 (59 votes)

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive reform law, enacted in 2010, that increases health insurance coverage for the uninsured and implements reforms to the health insurance market. This includes many provisions that are consistent with AMA policy and holds the potential for a better health care system.

What are the main points of the Affordable Care Act?

The law has 3 primary goals:
  • Make affordable health insurance available to more people. ...
  • Expand Medicaid to cover all adults with income below 138% of the FPL. ...
  • Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally.

What are 5 mandated benefits under the ACA?

The 10 categories of benefits in an EHB package are: 1) ambulatory patient services, 2) emergency services, 3) hospitalization, 4) maternity and newborn care, 5) mental health and substance use disorder services, 6) prescription drugs, 7) rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, 8) lab services, 9) ...

What are the four major components of the Affordable Care Act quizlet?

The four major components of the ACA are expanding Medicaid, preventing insurance companies from denying or increasing the cost of coverage to sick people, requiring all Americans to have health insurance, and requiring large companies to provide health insurance to employees.

What does the Affordable Care Act not cover?

What Benefits Does the Affordable Care Act Not Cover? The Affordable Care Act does leave two forms of insurance for adults out of its provisions — vision insurance and dental coverage. Although both of these services are considered essential benefits for children under the ACA, they are not included for adults.

ACA 101: A Comprehensive Guide to the Affordable Care Act

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What is the biggest problem with the Affordable Care Act?

Impact on Individual Insurance

It was also known that consumers would face a very different health insurance world under the ACA, with some people seeing their premiums go down and some seeing them go up, and the majority of Americans seeing higher deductibles, higher copays, and a smaller pool of providers.

What is the maximum out of pocket for the Affordable Care Act?

For the 2024 plan year: The out-of-pocket limit for a Marketplace plan can't be more than $9,450 for an individual and $18,900 for a family. For the 2025 plan year: The out-of-pocket limit for a Marketplace plan can't be more than $9,200 for an individual and $18,400 for a family.

What is one of the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act?

Health insurance companies cannot turn down your application because of your health status. Women can no longer be charged more for insurance than men. In fact, insurance rates cannot be based on gender or gender identity at all. Once you buy health insurance, you do not have to pay anything for preventive care.

What is the Affordable Care Act best characterized as?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive reform law, enacted in 2010, that increases health insurance coverage for the uninsured and implements reforms to the health insurance market. This includes many provisions that are consistent with AMA policy and holds the potential for a better health care system.

Which is one requirement of the Affordable Care Act?

One provision contained in the law is known as the “individual mandate” which requires that all Americans (regardless of age) be covered by health insurance (through a group or individual plan) or pay an annual financial penalty assessed by the Internal Revenue Service, unless waived under certain limited circumstances ...

What is the 9.5 rule in Obamacare?

The 9.5% threshold for health insurance costs

The Health Reform bill established 9.5% as the amount of income used for health insurance beyond which, it would not be an affordable. This means that if you make $40K annually, the bill subsidizes health insurance premiums beyond just short of $4K.

What are the pros and cons of the Affordable Care Act?

The pros of the ACA include prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on health history and providing subsidies to reduce premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The cons of the ACA include small business challenges and limited provider options in some regions.

What health insurance is accepted in all 50 states?

Medicare is run by the federal government, which is why Original Medicare coverage is the same in every state and includes nationwide access to providers.

What was one of the main goals of the Affordable Care Act?

Make affordable health insurance available to more people. The law provides consumers with subsidies (“premium tax credits”) that lower costs for households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL).

How much is Obamacare a month for a single person?

Monthly premiums for Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans vary by state and can be reduced by premium tax credits. The average national monthly health insurance cost for one person on an Affordable Care Act (ACA) plan without premium tax credits in 2024 is $477.

What are the three main features of the Affordable Care Act?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has 3 main objectives: (1) to reform the private insurance market—especially for individuals and small-group purchasers, (2) to expand Medicaid to the working poor with income up to 133% of the federal poverty level, and (3) to change the way that medical decisions ...

Who is not eligible for Obamacare?

Must live in the United States. Must be a U.S. citizen or national (or be lawfully present). Learn about eligible immigration statuses. Cannot be incarcerated in prison or jail.

Is Affordable Care Act based on income or assets?

Under the Affordable Care Act, eligibility for income-based Medicaid and subsidized health insurance through the Marketplaces is calculated using a household's Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI).

What are the main points of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act?

The first—and central—aim is to achieve near-universal coverage and to do so through shared responsibility among government, individuals, and employers. A second aim is to improve the fairness, quality, and affordability of health insurance coverage.

Is the Affordable Care Act the same as Obamacare?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.

Why is affordable healthcare important?

Surveys consistently show that people delay or forgo care due to cost, worry about their ability to pay for health care bills, and incur medical debt. Health care affordability—or a lack thereof—can harm individual health.

Does the Affordable Care Act have lifetime limits?

The health care law stops insurance companies from limiting yearly or lifetime coverage expenses for essential health benefits.

What happens if I underestimate my income for Obamacare in 2024?

For the 2024 tax year, if you underestimated your income and received a larger tax credit than you were eligible for, you must repay the difference between the amount of premium tax credit you received and the amount you were eligible for.

Do prescriptions count towards out-of-pocket maximum?

The amounts you pay for prescription drugs covered by your plan would count towards your out-of-pocket maximum. If you purchase a prescription that is not covered by your plan for whatever reason (it's not on the plan's formulary, it's considered experimental, etc.), it would not count.