Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is zeroing in on one familiar campaign promise: He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In the months since Trump first reignited calls to “terminate” the ACA, he has repeated his public attacks at least seven times. Once again, we are facing a grave threat to American health care and to millions of families’ financial security.
Once again, we are facing a grave threat to American health care and to millions of families’ financial security.
Some have been quick to dismiss Trump’s recent comments as an empty threat. This is a mistake. During his time in office, Trump successfully undermined the law, leading to a drop in enrollment, and weakened protections for people with pre-existing conditions. He was just one vote short of total ACA repeal in 2017, and now, the Republican Party has only grown more extreme and motivated to fall in line with Trump.
Fourteen years after it was signed into law, the ACA is woven into the fabric of our lives. The law is more popular than ever: A record 21.3 million people signed up for ACA coverage for 2024. By passing the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress helped millions of families find a plan at little to no cost. Additionally, the Biden administration made historic investments in education and outreach to make it easier for people to enroll — a stark contrast to Trump, who routinely slashed this funding during his time in office.
The ACA also includes a broad range of cost savings and protections that touch nearly every household in the country. For example, the ACA ensures that over 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions won’t be discriminated against by insurance companies, allows children to stay on their parents’ coverage until the age of 26, lowers prescription drug costs for 52 million seniors, and requires that insurance companies cover critical preventive care, such as…
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