WASHINGTON — On the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act becoming law, Health Care for America Now (HCAN) Executive Director Margarida Jorge released the following statement celebrating record enrollment and lowered costs gained through the Inflation Reduction Act, and calling on Congress to finish the job by reining in health industry price-gouging and making healthcare affordable for all:
“After 13 years of non-stop attacks and sabotage from opponents, the Affordable Care Act has not just survived but thrived, hitting record enrollment this year by providing quality, affordable coverage to over 16 million Americans and improving coverage for over 100 million more nationwide. Both the ACA and Medicaid were invaluable tools throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring individuals could get affordable coverage when they needed it most. But it shouldn’t take an emergency to make healthcare affordable and accessible to millions more people: Congress has the power to make permanent the increased affordability provisions and Medicaid improvements that have brought the number of uninsured people to record lows over the last year, and expand Medicaid eligibility for all states as the Public Health Emergency ends and more people lose their coverage.
“Reining in the healthcare industry’s price-gouging and making tax-dodging billionaires and corporations pay their fair share is a common-sense solution to lower costs while investing in services. Health Care for America Now supports President Biden’s recently announced budget blueprint to do just that. President Biden’s proposal builds on the ACA and the important progress gained in the Inflation Reduction Act by making enhanced premium tax credits in the ACA permanent, extending provisions to lower drug prices for people not covered by Medicare and increasing investment in Medicaid for mental healthcare, substance use treatments and provide home-based and community care options for aging people and people with disabilities.
“The Affordable Care Act and Inflation Reduction Act have helped ensure that accessing health care doesn’t hinge on income or ZIP code, especially during the pandemic. We call on Congress to finish the job and support the President’s plan to expand healthcare coverage and lower costs by finally making corporations and the very wealthy pay their fair share in taxes.”
