How to Improve the Affordable Care Act

Here’s some news from 2020 that seems almost good: Despite heavy job losses during the pandemic, the proportion of Americans without health insurance didn’t spike, as you might have expected. Some employers maintained their coverage. Many of those who lost their employer-provided policies picked up Medicaid coverage instead. And others bought individual policies on the state and federal Obamacare marketplaces.

This illustrates how the 2010 Affordable Care Act broadly improved Americans’ health security — by making it possible to buy good-quality, often subsidized insurance, and by expanding eligibility for Medicaid.