More on the Affordable Care Act

As often as we’ve talked about the IRS ACA Forms 1095-B and 1095-C, we haven’t gone too in depth on the actual Affordable Care Act itself. So while we can’t go super in depth on the legislature in just one post (there’s a lot - the condensed version is 1000 pages long), we can give you a quick overview of how the Act has affected America’s healthcare laws.

In a sentence, the ACA was written to attempt to reform the healthcare system by providing more Americans with affordable, quality health insurance and by curbing the growth in healthcare spending. Keep in mind, though, that healthcare reform doesn’t begin and end with the Act itself. In most cases, the law gives power to ongoing efforts by Health and Human Services and other government programs to reform health care.

Under the Affordable Care Act:

• All Americans with health insurance are privy to new benefits, rights, and protections which ensure that they get treatment when they need it.
• Insurance is more affordable. By reducing premium and out-of-pocket costs for millions of families and small business owners, over 32 million Americans who couldn’t afford health care before now can.
• Risk is spread equally to end insurance discrimination. This means you can no longer be charged more based on gender, health status, or age.
• A new competitive health insurance marketplace was set up, giving Americans access to group buying power. This also allows Americans to compare plans and receive cost assistance.
• The budget and economy are put on a more stable path. By cutting government overspending and reining in waste, fraud, and abuse in the healthcare industry, it’s predicted the deficit will be reduced by more than $100 billion over the next ten years, and more than $1 trillion over the second decade.

Nothing in the ACA forces any American to have healthcare or to drop their current healthcare plan, assuming that plan complies with the ACA.

For a more information on the Act, check out this post from Obamacare Facts that goes into each Title of the ACA in more detail. Or, you can read the Act itself, but it’s not exactly light reading.

And for more information on e-filing your ACA forms, give us a call! We’re available by phone (704-839-2270) and live chat Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. We also offer 24/7 email support at support@expressirsforms.com.