Which law, enacted in 2010 and commonly called Obamacare, aimed to expand coverage and prevent denial of pre-existing conditions?

• A. Medicare
• B. Medicaid
• C. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• D. Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Answer: (D)

The key idea is recognizing a 2010 law that expanded access to health insurance and specifically bars insurers from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions. That law is the Affordable Care Act. It created health insurance marketplaces, expanded eligibility for Medicaid in many states, and implemented protections such as guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. It also extended dependent coverage to young adults up to age 26 and set minimum benefits that plans must offer.

Medicare is a long-standing federal program primarily for people 65 and older (and some younger people with disabilities). Medicaid is a joint federal‑state program for low‑income individuals and families. HIPAA, enacted in 1996, focused on health insurance portability and privacy, with some protections around pre-existing conditions, but it does not represent the broad coverage expansion or the explicit prohibition on denying coverage for pre-existing conditions that the ACA introduced.