What is a significant feature of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced several key provisions aimed at expanding access to health insurance, one of the most significant being the individual mandate. This provision required that most Americans have health insurance coverage or face penalties on their tax returns. The goal was to encourage a larger, more diverse insurance pool, which would include healthy individuals who could help offset the costs of providing care for those who are less healthy. The individual mandate aimed to lower the overall cost of insurance by broadening the risk pool and promoting preventative care.

While this provision was a crucial aspect of the ACA, it’s important to note that the individual mandate has undergone changes, particularly with adjustments made during the Trump administration, which effectively reduced the penalties for not having coverage to zero starting in 2019. Nonetheless, at the time of its implementation, the mandate was a significant feature of the law aimed at increasing insurance coverage rates.

The other options presented do not accurately reflect the goals or effects of the ACA: it did not decrease the number of people insured, but significantly increased coverage; it prohibited denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, which was a landmark feature aimed at protecting vulnerable populations; and it did not restrict coverage to only the elderly, as the ACA aimed to provide health insurance