Top 10 Lung Health Benefits from the Affordable Care Act

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law in March 2010. The American Lung Association strongly supports the ACA because it benefits millions of patients with asthma, lung cancer and other lung diseases and helps millions of people in the United States access quality and affordable healthcare.

Below are just 10 of the lung health benefits from the ACA:

1. Americans who have pre-existing conditions, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can no longer be denied or charged more for health insurance on the marketplace.
2. Millions of people in the United States who couldn't get health insurance before are now able to buy comprehensive health insurance on the marketplace—and four out of five people buying coverage on the Marketplace qualify for subsidies that make their premiums more affordable. As of November 2024, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients will also be eligible for coverage and premium subsidies through the Marketplace.
3. Marketplace plans must cover 10 categories of “essential health benefits,” including outpatient care, hospitalization, prescription drugs, and more. People with asthma and other respiratory conditions have options for receiving medical treatment other than going to the emergency department.
4. Insurance companies are prohibited from revoking coverage when a patient gets sick with a condition such as lung cancer.
5. Forty-one states have adopted the ACA’s option to expand their Medicaid programs to low-income adults, improving access to care, health outcomes and financial security for many millions of people.
6. Insurance companies that sell marketplace plans may not place dollar caps (annual or lifetime) on an individual’s covered health benefits. Previously, patients with serious diseases such as lung cancer sometimes exhausted their plan allowances and were denied further coverage for that condition.
7. Pregnant women on Medicaid are guaranteed coverage for all quit smoking treatments and medications. This coverage now extends for a year post-partum in 48 states and DC.
8. All new private insurance plans and marketplace plans must cover treatments that help smokers quit, cover lung cancer screening for people at high risk for lung cancer, and cover recommended vaccines without cost-sharing.
9. The Prevention and Public Health Fund provides funding to community-based prevention and public health efforts, including coverage of quit smoking treatments and programs that help people control their asthma.
10. Young people under the age of 26 can remain on their parents' health insurance plan, which is critical for young adults with lung disease, including asthma.