ACAP Marks Third Anniversary Of Affordable Care Act

Margaret A. Murray, Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), issued the following statement today regarding the third anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA):
“One of the most pressing and persistent challenges of our health care system has been finding ways to maximize limited health care resources to deliver care as efficiently and effectively as possible to those who need it most. The Affordable Care Act has been and remains the single most significant effort since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid to squarely address this challenge. That’s why ACAP has supported the Affordable Care Act from the beginning.

“Before the ACA’s enactment in 2010, 1 in 6 Americans lacked access to health coverage, despite the fact that America spends far more on health care than any other country in the world. By this time next year, millions of low-income working Americans for whom health coverage had previously been out of reach will have access to coverage thanks to states’ expansion of the Medicaid program, and subsidies for health coverage through Exchanges.
“While many of the law’s most significant provisions will take effect on January 1, others have already transformed our health care system for the better. The Affordable Care Act expanded the Medicaid prescription drug rebate to include Medicaid managed care plans, a provision ACAP championed for years. Conservative estimates of the provision’s savings to taxpayers already top $10 billion. And health reform has spurred reform of the health care delivery system in a way that has led to more integrated, more closely-coordinated care.
“ACAP and its 58 member Safety Net Health Plans, continue to work with state and Federal officials to implement the Affordable Care Act and improve health reform efforts through strengthening health insurance Exchanges, advocating for policies to minimize “churn” among low-income populations and improve and integrate care for persons dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
“No silver bullet will solve health care’s persistent challenges of expanding access, containing costs, and improving quality. But the Affordable Care Act is a landmark in the effort to do so, and a clear statement that we can tackle the big problems with a constructive approach.”

About ACAP
ACAP represents 58 nonprofit Safety Net Health Plans in 24 states, which collectively serve more than ten million people enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other public health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net .