Today, in recognition of the five-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Congressman Tim Ryan announced that 16,793 people in the Akron area and 13,673 people in the Youngstown area have signed up for health care coverage on the Health Insurance Marketplace. Nationwide, more than 16.4 million people have gained coverage since the ACA passed. This is the largest reduction in the uninsured in four decades.
"On the fifth anniversary of this landmark law, I am happy to report that the Affordable Care Act is working for our community. The 16,000 in Akron and 13,000 in Youngstown who have signed up for coverage are proof of the positive impact this law is having for hardworking Americans, all while helping to reduce health care inflation to its lowest level in over five decades," said Congressman Ryan. "We can clearly see that because of the Affordable Care Act our family, friends and neighbors are finally able to afford and receive coverage, many for the first time in their lives. Those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage, young people can stay on the parents plans until they turn 26, and women no longer have to worry about getting charged more because of their gender. I am proud to have voted in support of this law five years ago and I am proud of the good it has done for so many here in Ohio and across the nation. I am not saying this law is perfect, and I stand ready to make adjustments as they are needed -- but it is quite clear we are much closer to making access to affordable health care a right for all Americans."
"These historic enrollment numbers show that the American people know the ACA is working for them," said US Dept. of Health and Human Services Region 5 Director Kathleen Falk. "Thanks to the ACA, people can no longer be denied health insurance because of a preexisting condition, healthcare spending is increasing at the lowest rate in 50 years, and people no longer need to worry about being one illness away from bankruptcy."
As a result of the ACA, the 5 million Ohioans with a pre-existing health condition can no longer be denied health care coverage. Millions of Americans, and almost 3 million Ohioans, who already had insurance have seen their coverage improve because they now have access to preventive services like vaccines, cancer screenings, and yearly wellness visits at no out-of-pocket cost. And since the ACA allows young adults to stay on their parents' plan until they turn 26, 97,000 young adults in Ohio gained coverage.
Nationwide, nearly 11.7 million consumers selected a plan or were automatically enrolled in Marketplace coverage. These enrollments contributed to the 7.1 percent drop in the uninsured rate since the ACA was passed.
In Ohio, 234,341 consumers selected plans or were automatically re-enrolled in quality, affordable health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace as of February 22, according to HHS. Additionally, eight out of ten Ohioans could select a Marketplace plan for $100 or less per month, and a vast majority of enrollees received an average tax credit of $244.