What Has The Affordable Care Act Accomplished A Year Later?
The next Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (also known as "Obamacare") will begin on November 15, 2014.
But with almost a year under its belt, has the Affordable Care Act impact as many people as it originally set out to?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, before the Affordable Care Act was put in place in late 2013, the number of uninsured Americans was around 42 million people or about 13.4 percent of the U.S. population in all age groups.
This year isn't finished, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed some key facts about the uninsured with data collected from the first quarter of 2014.
With Obamacare in place, 41 million people, or 13.1 percent of the population, were uninsured in the first three months of 2014, according to the CDC.
The number of individuals uninsured has, without a doubt, dropped -- if even by a relatively small percentage.
The Affordable Care Act also seems to know what goals it has met, with stats on the White House's website stating that 105 million Americans are no longer worried about having lifetime dollar limits on their coverage and that more than 17.6 million children with pre-existing conditions are no longer being denied coverage.
With these facts in mind, many Americans will be making important decisions about their healthcare during November's Open Enrollment for Obamacare.
During Open Enrollment individuals can apply for a 2015 Marketplace plan, keep your current plan, or pick a new one under the Affordable Care Act.
There are four key dates to remember:
- November 15, 2014. Open Enrollment begins. Apply for, keep, or change coverage.
- December 15, 2014. Enroll by the 15th if new coverage that will begin on January 1, 2015 is wanted. If a plan is changing or being switched, enroll by the 15th to avoid a lapse in coverage.
- December 31, 2014. Coverage ends for 2014 plans. Coverage for 2015 plans can start as soon as January 1st.
- February 15, 2015. This is the last day to apply for 2015 coverage before the end of Open Enrollment.
For more information regarding enrollment in the Affordable Care Act, visit their website.