March 23 marked the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act’s enactment, a date celebrated by numerous government officials for the program now providing nearly half a million Ohioans with health insurance.

“Since its enactment on March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has led to an historic advancement of health coverage and equity in the United States,” wrote the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on their website. “Thanks to the ACA, millions of Americans have gained health coverage without lifetime limits, and protections are in place for people with preexisting conditions.”

President Biden posted on X, “I’m committed to building on the progress we’ve made by making lower premiums permanent for millions of families.” 

Ohio Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown also joined in the rallying call, his campaign issuing a statement on the anniversary saying that “No family should have to choose between paying rent or buying groceries and getting the prescriptions and medical care they need.” On X, Brown went further, writing “We’ll keep fighting to make health care more affordable & accessible for all.”

Brown voted for the Affordable Care Act in 2010, joined Democratic colleagues in voting against ACA repeals in 2017, and has defended the bill in several public forums. 

A record 477,793 Ohioans enrolled in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplace in 2024, an increase from 294,644 Ohioans the year prior, and 259,999 in 2022. According to an analysis from Policy Matters Ohio released in 2018, 54,000 jobs in the state are directly supported by Ohio’s Medicaid expansion, and has boosted disposable income by $2.7 billion for the state’s citizens. The same group found that the Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid access to around 857,000 Ohioans, according to an article they penned in 2020. 

Brown is running for reelection in November. His opponent, Trump-endorsed Republican challenger Bernie Moreno, has made comments critical of the Affordable Care Act. “Democrats in DC name bills with the opposite outcome in mind,” Moreno wrote in an X-formerly Twitter- post from 2022. “Affordable Care Act had zero to do with affordability.”

Though contacted by the Ohio Capital Journal, no one from Moreno’s campaign responded to requests for comment about his thoughts on the Affordable Care Act. 

Nationwide, the Affordable Care Act has been used as a talking point by both Republicans and Democrats. 

“The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives,” wrote former president Donald Trump in a TruthSocial post from Nov. 25 last year.

Trump made multiple unsuccessful efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act during his presidency and has said he would renew his effort to dismantle the program if elected again.

Comparatively, Biden has championed the ACA, claiming he made it “stronger than ever before,” at a rally in North Carolina, and calling on Congress to make permanent an Affordable Care Act subsidy boost.” Otherwise, millions of Americans with that coverage could lose that coverage,” Biden is quoted as saying. 

Numerous polls show that healthcare is among the top issues for voters in the 2024 election. Nearly 3 in 4 adults say they are worried about being able to afford unexpected medical bills (74%) and the cost of health care services (73%) according to  data released by the Kaiser Family Foundation(KFF) on February 21st. The same research found six in ten (59%) of US adults have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act.

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 This story is provided by Ohio Capital Journal, a part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit. See the original story here.