As China has grown into a global power, it has also become increasingly engaged in the region. It has forged strategic partnerships with its neighbors and stepped up security efforts to bolster its interests there.
Xi Jinping, China’s president and general secretary of the Communist Party (CCP), is leading this transformation. He has cultivated a cult of personality, expanded his power over government institutions and rewritten the rules of governance.
ACA’s History
The ACA was passed in 2010 and became law March 23, 2010. It expanded Medicaid eligibility, created health insurance marketplaces, prevented insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions, and reduced health care costs.
The law also requires individuals and their families to have health insurance or pay a tax penalty. Those who cannot afford to pay for health insurance can get premium tax credits or cost-sharing reductions.
ACA’s goal is to achieve near-universal coverage in the United States by sharing responsibility among government, individuals and employers. It is also intended to improve the quality, value and affordability of health insurance and increase the availability of primary and preventive health care.
The ACA has achieved many of its goals, but some of the provisions have been reversed by Congress and the administration. However, the ACA remains a significant force in the United States’ health-care system. It is also beginning to realign the system for long-term changes in the quality and organization of health care and health information transparency.
ACA’s Mission
ACA is committed to serving its members by providing access to powerful, credible content and support. This includes webinars, publications, journals, conferences and legislative action alerts.
The ACA also provides a variety of resources on ethical standards for counselors. ACA’s Code of Ethics outlines professional responsibilities and serves as the foundation for processing inquiries and ethics complaints concerning ACA members.
Millions of Americans gained health insurance coverage under the ACA’s premium subsidies and cost-sharing subsidies (find out if you qualify with this subsidy calculator). The ACA’s Medicaid expansion dramatically improved access to care, with more low-income adults receiving personal physicians, getting check-ups and other preventive services, and having access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders.
Although the ACA’s insurance market reforms are extremely popular and unlikely to be repealed by political action, these reforms were disruptive to the insurance industry. They require a lot of new information, new terminology and a new way of doing business.
ACA’s Goals
One of the main goals of ACA is to improve access to quality health care by increasing the proportion of people who have coverage. This goal is achieved through reforms in the individual and small group insurance markets and expanded Medicaid eligibility.
The law also aims to change the way that health care decisions are made. This is facilitated by changes in the rules of the insurance market that require insurance companies to accept more risk and to offer comparable policies at relatively low rates, to limit rate increases, and to prohibit discrimination based on health status or pre-existing conditions.
The ACA also provides tax credits to help lower-income individuals and families buy health insurance in the exchanges operated by the federal government. These subsidies have been challenged in court, but they are expected to be upheld by the Supreme Court when it hears a case about them this summer.
ACA’s Activities
The ACA addresses a variety of issues related to the health care system. It provides grants to states for community-based approaches to reducing health disparities, encourages investments in health information technology to reduce medical errors and improve care coordination, and calls for long-term, systemic changes in how health care is organized and delivered.
A key ACA provision helps lower-income people buy affordable, individual insurance through marketplaces operated by the federal government. It allows tax credits to help them afford coverage in these markets, which have faced multiple court challenges.