Congressional Research Service

Patient Protection and Affordable Care ACT (Aca) Congressional Research Service

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P. L. 111-148, as amended) has numerous provisions affecting private health insurance and public health coverage programs. This report provides resources to help congressional staff respond to constituents' frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the law. The report lists selected resources regarding consumers, employers, and other stakeholders, with a focus on federal sources. It also lists Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports that summarize the ACA's provisions. The report begins with links to contacts for constituents' specific questions on insurance coverage (such as state insurance departments and the U. S. Department of Labor's consumer hotline for questions on employer-based coverage) as well as contacts for questions about HealthCare.gov and ACA tax provisions. The report also lists sources for congressional staff to contact federal agencies with ACA questions. The report provides basic consumer sources, including a glossary of health coverage terms and sources for obtaining the law's full text. The next sections focus on the individual mandate, private health insurance, exchanges, and employer-sponsored coverage. These are followed by information on public health care programs, such as Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicare. The report also provides sources on the ACA's provisions on specific populations: women's health care, Indian health care, veterans' and military health care, and the treatment of noncitizens under the ACA. These are followed by sources on behavioral health (mental health and substance use disorders); public health, workforce, and quality; and state innovation waivers. Finally, the report lists sources on taxes, congressional efforts to repeal or amend the ACA, ACA agency audits and investigations, cost estimates and spending, insurance coverage statistics, and legal and regulatory issues. This list is not a comprehensive directory of all resources on the ACA but rather is intended to address some questions that may arise frequently.