Wednesday marked the twelve year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, which aimed to make health care affordable and accessible to uninsured Americans.
The law has withstood multiple repeal attempts from Republican lawmakers and, in some states like New Hampshire, it has expanded cover an even larger subsection of the population. Critics of the ACA say the law has not gone far enough to help middle class Americans afford health insurance.
A 2019 evaluation of healthcare market premiums found that people with incomes right above the cutoff for subsidies struggled to afford health insurance plans.
For 60 year olds in New Hampshire who made about $50,000 — right above the cutoff — the cheapest plan premiums were often between 11 and 15% of their income. If the same demographic made about $45,000, which would land them right under the cutoff for subsidies, less than 5% of their income went towards premiums on average.
As of 2020, New Hampshire had one of the lowest rate of uninsured residents, 4.2%, in the country, though Vermont has half the percentage of uninsured people. Nationally, 8.6% of people are uninsured on average, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
A 7% decrease in the number of uninsured Americans between 2013 and 2020 is often attributed to the ACA, which has extended coverage to tens of millions of people.
The same data shows that more than 10% of Granite Staters have health insurance through Medicaid and more than 56% have insurance through their employer.
Some studies have also found evidence that broader Medicaid programs have improved health outcomes for low income Americans. Smaller studies have shown that the health coverage has improved the health of people with heart disease and renal disease.
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said in a statement that the twelve year anniversary of the law marks a milestone for healthcare in the United States.
“The day the Affordable Care Act was signed into law was a watershed moment in our country. Finally, health care was viewed as a right, not a privilege,” Shaheen said. “Fundamentally, access to care, medication and assistance should never be off limits simply because someone cannot afford it.”
Still, Shaheen said there are important gaps in medical care in New Hampshire. She said there are many families who still priced out of prescription drugs or who forego medical attention they need to maintain their health.
“As we celebrate this milestone for the Affordable Care Act, we should channel our energy toward continued efforts to make health care more affordable and accessible to every Granite Stater and all Americans,” she said.
Rep. Annie Kuster, who serves on a committee which has jurisdiction over health care, Medicare and Medicaid, recently proposed legislation that would revoke a Trump-era rule that could have driven up premium costs for people with pre-existing conditions.
“While we continue working to bolster the ACA and improve access to health care for Granite State families and people across the country, we must remain focused on ensuring no one can be denied coverage or charged more due to a preexisting condition,” she said.