Affordable Care Act Celebrates a Good June

In early June, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that a record 31 million Americans were enrolled in coverage related to the Affordable Care Act as of February 2021, demonstrating its role as a lifeline for people facing economic and health hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enhanced premium tax credits included in the American Rescue Plan enacted in March 2021 and available during an extended special enrollment period have reduced average monthly premiums by over 40% for returning consumers. Later in June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ACA for the third time and dismissed a challenge brought by Texas and 17 other states on grounds that they were not harmed and therefore lacked standing. The challengers had argued that the entire law was invalid after Congress reduced to zero the ACA’s penalty for failing to enroll in minimum essential coverage in 2017.