My Statement on the 14th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

Fourteen years ago today, I signed the Affordable Care Act into law.

Afterwards, one Republican member of the House called the ACA the “most dangerous piece of legislation ever passed in Congress.” Another predicted the country would “never recover from it.” But then something else happened: it actually worked.

Since the ACA was passed, the percentage of uninsured Americans has been cut in half. And thanks to the investments the Biden-Harris Administration has made to build on the ACA, more than 21 million Americans now have access to quality, affordable health care.

Today, young people are staying on their parents’ plans until they’re 26. Americans with pre-existing conditions are no longer being denied coverage. Seniors and people with disabilities are paying less for prescription drugs. And Americans everywhere are switching jobs and starting their own businesses without worrying about losing their insurance.

In so many ways, the Affordable Care Act has become part of our lives, changing the way we think about health insurance. But that doesn’t mean we can take it for granted.

Right now, some Republicans are still trying to repeal and gut the ACA — including calling for cuts that could put insurance out of reach for tens of millions of Americans.

We’ve come too far to let that happen. President Biden has proven that he’ll keep fighting to build on the ACA, and we need to fight with him. Because health care is not, and never will be, a privilege. It’s a right — and there’s so much more we can do to make it more affordable and effective for everyone.