Senator Baldwin Celebrates 14th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Expanding Coverage for Tens of Millions of Americans

WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is marking the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law on March 23, 2010. Senator Baldwin helped author and pass the Affordable Care Act, landmark legislation that expanded access to health care for approximately 45 million Americans, protecting people with pre-existing conditions from being charged more or denied coverage, and ensuring young people can stay on their parents’ insurance until 26.

“The Affordable Care Act has been a force for good for Wisconsin families: from expanding health care coverage, cutting costs for families, to protecting people with pre-existing conditions, and—a provision I was proud to author—allowing young people to stay on their parents’ insurance until they are 26,” said Senator Baldwin. “This progress has not come easy. We’ve seen countless efforts to gut the Affordable Care Act and rip care away from Wisconsinites. Let me be clear: not on my watch. We need to build on the progress of the Affordable Care Act and work to lower drug prices, expand access to affordable health care, and ensure Wisconsinites can live healthy lives.”

In the 14 years since Senator Baldwin helped pass the Affordable Care Act into law, the following changes have made a difference for Wisconsinites:

Millions of Young Adults (19-25) Gained Coverage: Senator Baldwin authored the provision that allows children to stay on their parents’ health insurance until 26. Within just the first few years of the Affordable Care Act, 2.3 million young adults aged 19 to 25 gained health coverage in large part thanks to that provision.

Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions: Health insurance companies cannot refuse coverage or charge Americans more just because someone has a “pre-existing condition.” Over 135 million Americans live with pre-existing conditions, including over 800,000 Wisconsinites.

Millions Covered Through ACA Marketplace Coverage: A record-breaking 21.3 million people signed up for ACA marketplace coverage during the latest Open Enrollment season, including 266,000 Wisconsinites. As of this year, 4 out of 5 Americans can find health care plans on HealthCare.gov for $10 or less a month.

Senator Baldwin has worked to build on the ACA by further lowering premium costs and prescription drug costs through the landmark Inflation Reduction Act. The new law has lowered annual premiums for people who buy their own coverage by an average of $2,400 per family and has saved the average 60-year-old couple with a household income of $75,000 approximately $1,900 in monthly premiums for Marketplace coverage.

Expanded Access to Preventative and Essential Health Care: Under the ACA, most plans must cover a set of preventative services – like shots and screenings – at no cost to Americans, including blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol tests, cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies, routine vaccinations and flu shots, and regular check ups for children and babies.

The ACA also requires insurance plans cover FDA-approved contraceptive methods prescribed by a doctor. Additionally, all plans purchased through the ACA marketplace are required to cover 10 essential health benefits, including emergency services, hospitalization, pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care, and mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

On Friday, Senator Baldwin participated in a press conference on the impact of the Affordable Care Act. Watch that video here.  

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