Ten Years Later: Reflections on Critics’ Worst-Case Scenarios for the Affordable Care Act

This commentary considers five frequently heard worst-case scenarios related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and provides research evidence that these fears did not come to pass.

Not everyone believed that the ACA would lead to positive outcomes. Critics raised numerous concerns in the years leading up to the law’s passage and full implementation, including about its consequences for national health spending, labor supply, employer health insurance markets, provider capacity, and overall population health.