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The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act

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Signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), or Affordable Care Act (ACA), ushered in a new era in the way Americans get their medical care (coverage). Guaranteeing new consumer protections and creating insurance exchanges to facilitate greater access and affordability by reducing premiums and costs for tens of millions of Americans. When passed, the ACA allowed for states to expand access to Medicaid to those previously ineligible, including some people above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and in its five years since passage the law has faced challenges to its component pieces, its legality, and constitutionality all together. A Supreme Court decision in 2012 ruled a key element of the ACA, the expansion of Medicaid, to be optional for the states. From that decision, 24 states and the District of Columbia have chosen the expansion option and seen success, while opposition in other states has led to efforts to block expansion, invoking a sophistic response where those living above the FPL receive federal subsidies and the most in need are left without coverage. The success of the ACA in non-expansion states – Georgia, in particular, here - depends on the state governance to make available the expansion of Medicaid for the population of their states, including opening doors for patient navigators to reach into local communities and raise awareness.

Cooper 2 Among the 22 states choosing not to expand

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