Affordable Care Act
U.S. federal statute also known as Obamacare
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We include updates on Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, California v. Texas, Medicaid coverage gap, 2020 Missouri Amendment 2, Contraceptive mandate, Premium tax credit, Executive Order 13535, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Pajama Boy, Patient navigators, Defined contribution health benefits, Small Business Health Options Program, Essential health benefits, Individual shared responsibility provision, EBSA Form 700 ... and more.
| 2024 | During the United States presidential debates, Donald Trump proposed modifying or removing sections of the Affordable Care Act, stating he has specific 'proposals' for changes. |
| 2024 | At the Democratic National Convention, Obama noted the declining use of the term 'Obamacare', suggesting its negative connotation had diminished. |
| December 2023 | A Morning Consult poll of registered voters found 57% approved of the Affordable Care Act, with support varying by party: 85% of Democrats, 56% of independents, and 28% of Republicans supported the law. |
| July 1 2023 |
Medicaid coverage gap
Medicaid expansion was implemented, extending coverage to 42,500 new adult and nonelderly South Dakotans.
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| March 2023 | Judge Reed O'Connor of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled that the ACA's provisions for contraceptives, HIV testing, and various health screenings violated religious exercise freedoms, placing an injunction on that portion of the law. The Biden administration planned to appeal the decision. |
| 2022 | The Inflation Reduction Act introduced a continuation of the health insurance subsidies first expanded in the American Rescue Plan Act. |
| 2022 | The 'Cadillac tax' on high-cost employer health plans was again delayed, following previous postponements. |
| 2022 |
Medicaid coverage gap
Constitutional Amendment D passed with 56.2% voter support, setting the stage for Medicaid expansion.
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| September 2022 |
Medicaid coverage gap
During the gubernatorial election debate, Governor Kristi Noem stated she would implement Medicaid expansion if passed by ballot initiative.
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| February 15 2022 |
Medicaid coverage gap
Republican-led South Dakota Senate voted against State Senator Wayne Steinhauer's proposal to expand Medicaid, with a 12-13 vote.
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| 2021 |
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
Senator Cory Booker introduced the Do No Harm Act to reverse the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision.
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| 2021 | A study found a significant decline in mortality rates in states that opted into the Medicaid expansion program, with approximately 15,600 excess deaths attributed to non-expansion states from 2014 through 2017. |
| 2021 | The American Rescue Plan Act was enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding subsidies for marketplace health plans. |
| October 1 2021 | Missouri implemented Medicaid expansion through a constitutional amendment, with coverage retroactive to July 1, 2021. |
| July 1 2021 | Oklahoma implemented Medicaid expansion through a state question, increasing healthcare coverage. |
| July 1 2021 |
Medicaid coverage gap
Oklahoma implements Medicaid expansion following the narrow passage of State Question 802, with Stitt withdrawing his previous healthcare proposal.
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| June 17 2021 |
California v. Texas
Supreme Court issued a 7-2 ruling, reversing the Fifth Circuit's ruling and concluding that Texas and plaintiff states lacked standing to challenge the individual mandate.
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| June 17 2021 | The Supreme Court rejected the challenge in a 7-2 decision, ruling that Texas and other plaintiff states did not have standing to challenge the provision, thus leaving the Affordable Care Act fully intact. |
| June 17 2021 |
California v. Texas
Supreme Court issues a 7-2 decision in California v. Texas, ruling that Texas and other states challenging the individual mandate did not have legal standing, effectively leaving the Affordable Care Act intact.
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| May 2021 |
Medicaid coverage gap
Dakotans for Health unsuccessfully challenged the resolution in the South Dakota Supreme Court.
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| March 2021 |
Medicaid coverage gap
The American Rescue Plan Act was passed, providing additional federal funding to incentivize the remaining non-expansion states to adopt Medicaid expansion by covering an extra 5 percent of state expenditures.
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| March 2021 |
Medicaid coverage gap
South Dakota Senate voted to expedite voting on Medicaid expansion, moving the ballot measure from the 2022 general election to the 2022 primaries as Constitutional Amendment C.
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| February 2021 |
California v. Texas
Department of Justice under Biden submitted an amicus brief asserting the Affordable Care Act is constitutional and the mandate is severable.
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| 2020 |
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
Medicare Part D 'donut hole' fully closed. Government to provide up to 75% discount on brand-name and generic drugs.
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| 2020 | A Treasury Department study using a randomized controlled trial found that obtaining health insurance reduced mortality by 12 percent over two years, potentially saving 700 lives. |
| 2020 | The Medicare Part D 'doughnut hole' coverage gap was fully closed, meaning participants would receive full coverage for prescription drugs after exhausting their initial coverage. |
| 2020 | Further Consolidated Appropriations Act completely repealed the excise tax on high-cost health plans that was originally scheduled for implementation. |
| 2020 | Federal government's contribution to Medicaid expansion costs stabilized at 90% of increased expenses, which was to remain constant for subsequent years. |
| 2020 |
Medicaid coverage gap
Federal government stabilized its contribution to Medicaid expansion states at 90% of additional costs, completing the planned funding reduction.
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| November 10 2020 |
California v. Texas
Oral arguments were heard, with observers noting that Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh seemed to accept severability arguments.
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| September 2020 |
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passes away, with her dissent in this case being her last authored opinion before her death.
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| July 8 2020 | The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania that employers with religious or moral objections can exclude contraceptive coverage from employee insurance plans. Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the majority opinion. |
| July 8 2020 |
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania
Supreme Court issues ruling, finding HHS rules valid with a 7-2 majority opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas. The decision reverses the Third Circuit decision and remands the case for review.
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| July 8 2020 |
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania
Supreme Court rules 7-2 in Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania, validating the new HHS rules and determining the departments had authority to create religious exemptions.
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| June 25 2020 |
California v. Texas
Trump administration's Solicitor General Noel J. Francisco filed a brief arguing the individual mandate is unconstitutional and should be struck down entirely.
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| May 6 2020 |
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania
Oral arguments heard via teleconference due to COVID-19 pandemic, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg calling in from her hospital room while recovering from an emergency surgical procedure.
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| March 2020 | The Supreme Court accepted the case to be heard in the 2020–2021 term, with the ruling expected after the 2020 elections. |
| March 2020 |
Medicaid coverage gap
Governor Kevin Stitt unveils SoonerCare 2.0, a Medicaid expansion proposal with work requirements and tiered premiums.
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| March 2 2020 |
California v. Texas
Supreme Court agreed to hear the case during the 2020–2021 term, consolidating California's and Texas's petitions under California v. Texas.
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| February 2020 |
California v. Texas
Texas and other states filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to deny expedited review and allow normal judicial process.
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| January 2020 |
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania
Supreme Court agrees to hear the cases involving Little Sisters of the Poor and the government, consolidating both petitions.
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| January 3 2020 |
California v. Texas
California-led group filed a petition for writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court in response to the Fifth Circuit's decision, requesting an expedited schedule for case review.
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| January 1 2020 | Idaho and Utah implemented Medicaid expansion, with Idaho enacting through a state proposition and Utah implementing with legislative modifications. |
| January 1 2020 |
Medicaid coverage gap
Medicaid expansion officially took effect in Utah, after years of debate and legislative resistance.
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| 2019 | 35 states and the District of Columbia had expanded healthcare coverage through traditional Medicaid or alternative programs. The individual mandate penalty was set to $0. |
| 2019 | Supreme Court granted certiorari in the case Maine Community Health Options v. United States, related to risk corridor funds. |
| 2019 | A JAMA study found that ACA decreased emergency department and hospital use by uninsured individuals. |
| 2019 | 12 states and Washington DC were operating their own health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act, while other states used federal or partnership models. |
| 2019 | Congress repealed the 'Cadillac' tax on health insurance benefits, the excise tax on medical devices, and the Health Insurance Tax. |
| 2019 | Excise tax on medical devices and indoor tanning services was repealed. |
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Medicaid coverage gap, California v. Texas, Affordable Care Act, Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania & Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.