The Affordable Care Act: 5 Years Later

Today is the five-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. And, in honor of that momentous occasion, the government recently released new statistics showing just how much the act has done for us. Here are a few highlights: To date, 16.4 million previously uninsured people now have coverage, according to the new stats. And, 2.3 million of them are young adults between the ages of 19 and 25. This is largely due to the provision allowing people to be covered by their parents' insurance until they're 26. Although the uninsured rate is still higher for African Americans and Latinos than Caucasians, it has fallen for all races and ethnicities since 2010. Also, there's no denying the ways women have benefitted from Obamacare: As of last summer, over half of privately-insured women were getting birth control for free. This saves a woman an average of nearly $270 per year. Obamacare is still a fiery issue for much of the country. But, we'll take this moment to reflect on the good.