The Affordable Care Act : Against the Odds, It's Working

Abstract

This issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal focuses on the 10-year anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), signed into law on March 23, 2010. Since its inception, the ACA has been highly controversial. Yet, it has contributed to positive improvements in our health care system. The ACA expanded health insurance coverage to more of the uninsured, made investments in prevention and in improving quality of care, and started our journey toward value-based care. This issue brief touches on how the law has been implemented in North Carolina, along with an assessment of the successes and failures of the law. It is followed by more detailed commentaries on specific aspects of the law and its implementation in our state. While much has been accomplished in the last 10 years, more is needed to achieve our goals of an affordable, equitable, and accessible health care system-one that promotes positive health outcomes while reducing unnecessary costs.