The 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided millions of Americans access to affordable health care, assuring they could receive needed care. The law accomplished this goal by establishing federal and state marketplaces, expanding Medicaid and utilizing the current mix of public and private coverage.

The Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) played a pivotal role in the passage of the ACA. We worked alongside leaders in the hospital community to forward the efforts of lawmakers to ensure patients had true comprehensive health coverage, including protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

FAH members have long fought for the ACA to meet its expectations of providing universal access to coverage for all Americans. In the years since its implementation, controversies over health coverage have led to some calling for the elimination of the ACA, while others have started pushing for a one-size-fits-all government-run health care system. Though these politics have presented obstacles, the ACA has brought health care security to millions by establishing a pathway to care for people who need hospital services.

The law has dramatically reduced the number of uninsured Americans. Despite court decisions and other actions designed to undercut ACA, since it’s passage more than 20 million people have gained coverage and the uninsured rate fell to its lowest point of only 10%.

FAH and its membership firmly believe that the ACA provides the platform that will lead to the universal coverage the majority of Americans support. It’s our hope that the administration, Congress and courts – in time – will embrace the law and its mission to provide everyone affordable access to care. The good news – progress is being made. Congressional deliberations over the last few years have provided a roadmap to enable the ACA to meet its aspirations for better health care for all Americans. It’s time lawmakers build on the parts of the law that are working and find reasonable solutions to fix what’s broken.