While the ACA didn’t fully resolve systemic factors driving the rising cost of health care, it significantly expanded access. In 2010, the uninsured rate among non-elderly individuals was over 18%. In recent years, that rate has dropped to below 10%.

Because of the ACA, private insurance plans can’t place annual or lifetime limits on health coverage.

Services such as cancer screenings used to be costly. With the ACA, preventive care covers—at low or no cost—screenings for cancer, diabetes, hypertension, autism, and other conditions.

Before the ACA, insurers could charge higher premiums to cover pre-existing conditions, or deny coverage altogether. Today, if you have a pre-existing condition, like diabetes, asthma, hypertension, depression, cancer, or pregnancy, you can’t be denied coverage or charged a higher premium.

Insurers used to be able to remove older kids from their parents’ family health plan. Because of the ACA, young adults can keep the coverage until they turn 26.

Pre-ACA, insurers were free to set much more expensive premiums based on age. Someone not yet eligible for Medicare could be charged more than 5X the amount a younger person would pay. With the ACA’s 3-to-1 limit on age rating, an older adult’s premium can’t be more than 3X what a 21-y-o would pay.

According to the 2022 article, the $12B project is linked to a 2017 deal.