The Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010 by former President Barack Obama, has expanded health insurance coverage across the U.S. and significantly reduced racial and ethnic disparities in access to healthcare, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund.
"Since its passage in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has helped cut the U.S. uninsured rate nearly in half while significantly reducing racial and ethnic disparities in both insurance coverage and access to care — particularly in states that expanded their Medicaid programs," reads the report.
Data shows that prior to the 2013 implementation of the Medicaid expansion — a provision of the ACA that made more families eligible for Medicaid coverage — 40.2% of the Hispanic population, 24.4% of the Black population, and 14.5% of the White population were uninsured in America. However, by 2021, those numbers dropped significantly to 24.5%, 13.5%, and 8.2%, respectively.
With more than five million people gaining coverage between 2020 and 2022 over the course of the pandemic, the overall uninsured rate in the U.S. dropped to just 8%, a historic low, according to the report.
The report highlights specific ACA successes, including improved coverage rates for Black, Hispanic and White adults.
"The coverage gap between Black and White adults dropped from 9.9 to 5.3 percentage points, while the gap between Hispanic and White adults dropped from 25.7 to 16.3 points," according to the the study.
Additionally, the report found that adult uninsured rates for Black, Hispanic, and White people all improved during the first two years of the pandemic across all states — whether they had expanded their Medicare coverage or not — and that Black and Hispanic adults experienced larger gains in insurance coverage than their White counterparts between from 2019 to 2021. (our emphasis)
Democratic governance makes life better for all Americans. Pass it on.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day visit that shows off Beijing’s new swagger in world diplomatic affairs and offers a welcome political lift for Russian President Vladimir Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for him on war crimes charges related to the war in Ukraine.
China and Russia have described Xi’s trip as an opportunity to further deepen their “no-limits friendship.” China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as U.S. domination of global affairs. The two countries also have held joint military drills.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that over dinner on Monday, Putin and Xi will touch on issues related to Ukraine, adding that Russia’s president will likely offer a “detailed explanation” of Moscow’s view on the current situation.
Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for Tuesday, according to Peskov.
For Putin, Xi’s presence at the Kremlin is a prestige visit and a diplomatic triumph, allowing him to tell Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate him have fallen short...
For Xi to further taint an already tainted China by associating with wanted war criminal Putin is not terribly surprising. Genocidal regimes stick together. Autocrats stick together, particularly those with common enemies. Fuck 'em.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sought to reassure his staff in an internal message Saturday that intimidation or threats against them would not be tolerated. The communication comes as his office moves forward in its investigation into former President Donald Trump, who said that he believes he will be arrested on Tuesday and put out a call for his supporters to protest.
"Please know that your safety is our top priority," Bragg said in a memo to office staff obtained by NBC News from a senior official at the Manhattan DA’s office.
He added, "We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York."
The letter, which was first reported by Politico, did not mention Trump by name, and referred only to "an ongoing investigation by this office."
Trump is under investigation by Bragg's office in connection with a hush money payment made to adult video performer Stormy Daniels during his first campaign for president...
No one was shocked that the Malignant Loser would look to his MAGA moron supporters to protect him should he be indicted and arrested tomorrow. Following his leader Marjorie "Traitor" Greene's lead, spineless Squeaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has now urged the Malignant Loser's cult not to protest his imminent arrest, likely fearful it could turn into Coup 2.0, diluting the pervasive Republican propaganda that January 6 was a normal tourist event marred by limited acts of naughtiness.
