New KFF Analysis: ‘3.7 Million Americans Are Newly Eligible For Subsidized ACA Marketplace Health Insurance’

WASHINGTON – A new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) finds that “the number of people eligible for a subsidy to purchase Marketplace coverage has increased 20 percent from 18.1 million to 21.8 million with passage of” the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), while “the majority of uninsured people (63 percent) are now eligible for financial assistance through the Marketplaces, Medicaid, or Basic Health Plans. In fact, more than 4 out of 10 uninsured people are eligible for a free or nearly free health plan through one of these programs.”
 
The Associated Press reports that ARPA represents “the biggest expansion of federal help for health insurance since the Obama-era Affordable Care Act,” and separate steps are already underway to reopen federal health care marketplaces, eliminate ineffective red tape that can prevent Americans from accessing coverage options and urge the Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act.
 
At a time when our health care system is taking steps to make affordable health coverage and care available to millions more Americans, the time has never been better to build on and improve what’s working – where private coverage, Medicare and Medicaid work together to expand access to coverage and care – in order to lower costs, protect patient choice, expand access, improve quality and foster innovation.
 
The sixth edition of Voter Vitals – a nationwide tracking poll conducted by Locust Street Group for the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future – shows the vast majority of voters prefer for lawmakers to build on the current health care system rather than starting over with a new government-controlled health insurance system, such as the public option. The survey also finds most voters are unwilling to pay any more in taxes to create the public option and are concerned about its impact on access to quality care. 
 
The findings of Voter Vitals track closely with those of other national polling, including a recent survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), which reveals that the majority of Americans have a favorable view of current health care law and want the Biden Administration and Congress to build on what’s working in health care, where private coverage, Medicare, and Medicaid work together to expand access to health coverage and care.