How to Build on the Affordable Care Act

Executive Summary The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a giant step forward toward the true goal of universal health care: to make health care a right for all, not a privilege based on ability to pay. The ACA dramatically reduced the number of the uninsured, it defined a basic set of essential health benefits to which all Americans were entitled, and it protected low-income Americans against excessive out-of-pocket costs. Pre-existing exclusions in insurance were banned, and yearly and life-time limits on benefits were eliminated. Out-of-pocket costs for covered services were capped in all insurance policies. Studies have demonstrated improved access to health care and better health outcomes among the newly insured. But while the ACA was a giant achievement, it has still fallen short of the ultimate goal of universal health care.