Opinion: The Affordable Care Act has transformed health access for Coloradans. Congress must act to preserve and strengthen it.

From Colorado’s Western Slope to its Eastern Plains, the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, has made health care more accessible for Coloradans across the state. 

It has provided a safety net for the mother and caregiver whose husband and son are disabled. 

It has provided a sense of security amid uncertainty for the widower who was recently laid off. 

It has provided a cost-effective alternative for the family unable to afford a $2,400-a-month COBRA premium. 

It has provided consistent mental health support to the young woman who lost her job during the pandemic. 

And it has provided access to critical care and a renewed feeling of hope for the young boy who has been diagnosed with cancer. 

There are thousands of stories like this. They are the stories of our neighbors — workers, children, full-time students, pregnant people, small business owners, seniors, caregivers, people with disabilities and more. 

March 23 marks 15 years since the ACA was signed into law, transforming access to affordable, comprehensive and quality health care for millions of Americans. The ACA created health insurance marketplaces with financial help to reduce premium and out-of-pocket costs, and boosted federal funding to states that expanded Medicaid.

The ACA allows states to cover more people, reduce health disparities and reduce uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers. Additionally, the ACA has increased access to essential health services, including preventive care, mental health treatment and life-saving prescription medications.

In Colorado, more than 282,000 people in Colorado are enrolled in health insurance through Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s official health insurance marketplace. From 2011 just after the ACA took effect to 2023, Colorado’s uninsured rate dropped from 16% to below 5%.

A lower uninsured rate reduces costs for all Coloradans. When uninsured people seek care, hospitals are left with unpaid care costs, and that puts a strain on the health care system, which increases costs and premiums — for the insured and uninsured. As a result of the decrease in the number of uninsured people in Colorado, medical debt has decreased, families are more economically secure, and individuals have better health outcomes. 

Building on the financial help in the ACA, enhanced subsidies — extended by Congress through 2025 — lowered monthly premiums for even more Americans, making health insurance more affordable. In fact, three out of five customers in Colorado qualified for a health insurance plan for $10 or less per month after tax credits were applied.

However, people are going to lose access to health care if Congress doesn’t act. Without this financial help, insurance premiums will increase, and tens of thousands of Coloradans will lose health coverage, and the valuable, necessary health care for themselves and their families. 

There’s no question the Affordable Care Act has benefited millions of Americans by creating a continuum of affordable and high quality health coverage options from urban centers to rural areas. 

Yet, after 15 years of meaningful progress, it’s easy to take the ACA for granted, and forget that access to health care was once significantly limited. Coloradans could be denied health insurance, have their health conditions excluded, or be forced to pay higher premiums based on their health history or preexisting conditions.

As leaders in state health care, we’re reminded every day of the profound impact the ACA continues to have for Coloradans — our family, our friends and our neighbors. 

As Congress engages in budget conversations around health care, it is imperative leaders act with courage and compassion to preserve the Affordable Care Act and strengthen it by continuing the enhanced subsidies that have provided so much help to so many people. 

These essential programs have transformed the lives of every American, and there should be no turning back now. 

Kevin Patterson of Aurora serves as the CEO of Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s official health insurance marketplace. 

Michael Conway of Denver is the Colorado Insurance Commissioner and serves as the chief executive of the Colorado Division of Insurance and oversees the regulation of the insurance industry in Colorado.

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy. Learn how to submit a column. Reach the opinion editor at opinion@coloradosun.com.

Follow Colorado Sun Opinion on Facebook.