A new report from the Urban Institute details what every honest adult already knows: Obamacare is the most successful new government program since Medicare and Medicaid. In states that have fully implemented the law, the uninsured population has been cut in half. Tens of millions of Americans have been covered and about 14 million of them were uninsured before. Health […]

Special enrollment period through April 30 is available for people who learned of penalties on their 2014 tax return. It shouldn’t have been news to anyone that if you don’t have health insurance, you’ll have to pay a penalty unless your income is so low you can’t afford coverage. But since 2014 was the first year the Affordable Care Act […]

Instead of being tied to a job for the insurance benefits, Americans have the freedom to pursue their dreams. Ever since he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 10, Shawn Dhanak says he worried about what he was going to do when he was no longer covered by his parents’ insurance. He remembers his grandmother telling him, “You […]

These are only five of the millions of Americans whose lives have been changed for the better thanks to the ACA. Call it Obamacare, call it the Affordable Care Act or the ACA. Whatever you call it, you have to call it a success — because it is. March 23, 2015, marks the fifth anniversary of President Obama signing the […]

The new SHOP insurance marketplace at Healthcare.gov gives young company affordable options. Ryan Irvin and Amanda Stitt are the kind of small business owners who want to do the right thing for their employees. But they’re also business owners who need to pay attention to the bottom line. Fortunately, they’re able to do both. The Small Business Health Options Program […]

The King v. Burwell case could leave millions without health insurance. That’s not good for anyone. When Dawn Erina needed some minor surgery early this year, she was able to afford it. She could afford physical therapy visits, too. Without the surgery, Dawn would have struggled to do her job. When Dawn needed to refill one of her prescriptions, she […]

If you started enrolling before midnight on February 15, you can still get covered. But don’t delay! This post has been updated to reflect that all states have granted extensions. It’s not like there wasn’t plenty of advance notice. But if you were trying to sign up for health insurance and didn’t finish the process before midnight on February 15, […]

Brian was the picture of health before his diagnosis. He’s grateful he has insurance and wants everyone to get covered. Back in 2012, Brian Skibo had no reason to think there was anything wrong other than some work-related back pain. But when the pain didn’t respond to treatment, and he started getting headaches, his doctor ordered some tests. What the […]

If SCOTUS eliminates the ACA’s tax credits, Dolly and Chip would no longer be able to afford insurance — and the consequences could be life-threatening. UPDATE: After this story was posted, Dolly resubmitted an application for Medicaid and she and her husband were accepted into the program based on their very low income. So although they are no longer at […]

There’s nothing like a conference full of health advocates to remind you how far we’ve come — and how far we have to go. If you think the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is all there is to health reform, you could not be more wrong. It’s understandable, I suppose, that folks who don’t work in health advocacy might not be […]

A hospital denied her treatment after a stroke because she didn’t have insurance, but Obamacare changed all that. When Jae Stewart was 14 years old, she collapsed in the gym while playing basketball. The doctors said she had a heart murmur and sent her on her way, but little did Jae know this was the beginning of a lifetime of […]