human
I've been hearing about the new health care reform law recently. What does it do?
assistant
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is a comprehensive set of laws that aims to expand access to affordable health insurance and improve the quality of health care for all Americans. It sets up a system of subsidies for those who need them in order to purchase private health insurance, expands Medicaid eligibility to cover more low-income people, requires most individuals to have coverage or pay a penalty, and provides tax credits to help people buy insurance on their own. In addition, the ACA includes provisions such as prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, allowing young adults to stay on their parents' plans until age 26, and requiring larger employers to offer health insurance to employees.