ABSTRACT
Concerns about access to health insurance and healthcare fueled support for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) provisions that mandate that individuals must obtain health insurance (or pay a fine), and employers must offer health insurance (or pay a fine). In addition, federal funds are available to help states expand Medicaid coverage, modernize Medicaid eligibility and enrollment systems, and create state-level health insurance exchanges. These exchanges will create frameworks within which individuals can purchase individual insurance and qualifying individuals can obtain subsidies. In this chapter, we will examine evidence on pre-PPACA barriers to health insurance access, understand the logic that underlies the PPACA strategy, and assess likely impacts.
