On the 11th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act

As part of the American Rescue Plan, President Biden just signed the largest expansion of health care since the Affordable Care Act — helping an additional 1.3 million Americans get access to coverage.

It’s an example of how government is supposed to work, and exactly what I hoped would happen when I signed the ACA into law 11 years ago today.

The Affordable Care Act has helped 20 million Americans get coverage — and up to 130 million Americans can no longer be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition. The ACA has also been a lifeline for Americans who have lost their jobs and their health insurance during the pandemic.

But I’ve always said that the ACA is like a starter home — it’s our job to keep tinkering with it and improving it over time. And now, thanks to the hard work of President Biden, Senator Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Americans all across the country who have spent years fighting against repeal and pushing to improve the law, our starter home is starting to look pretty spacious.

The American Rescue Plan lowers premiums for millions of families, makes health insurance more affordable for low- and middle-income Americans, and provides incentives for states to expand Medicaid and cover as many as four million additional Americans — weaving the law even more tightly into the fabric of America.

Now we need to keep it up. Because until every single American has access to quality, affordable health care — we have more work to do, and I’m grateful to President Biden for continuing to lead the fight.