DEFINITION: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – also known as the Affordable Care Act or ACA, and generally referred to as Obamacare – is the landmark health reform legislation passed by the 111th Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010.

The legislation includes a long list of health-related provisions that began taking effect in 2010. Key provisions are intended to extend coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, to implement measures that will lower health care costs and improve system efficiency, and to eliminate industry practices that include rescission and denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

The Affordable Care Act provides Americans with better health security by putting in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that will:

1- Expand coverage,

2- Hold insurance companies accountable,

3- Lower health care costs,

4- Guarantee more choice, and

5- Enhance the quality of care for all Americans.