About the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act, also known as the ACA or “Obamacare,” is a comprehensive federal health care reform law enacted in March 2010. The law has three primary goals:

• To make affordable health insurance available to more people (the law provides subsidies and tax credits to lower costs for consumers with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level).
• To expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the federal poverty level.
• To support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care in general.

Using the authority provided by the ACA the Nevada State Legislature voted to expand Medicaid coverage and create a state-based health insurance marketplace. The Silver State Health Insurance Exchange (SSHIX, or “the Exchange”) was thereby established to:

• Facilitate the purchase and sale of qualified health plans in the individual market in Nevada;
• Reduce the number of uninsured persons in Nevada;
• Provide a transparent marketplace for health insurance and consumer education on matters relating to health insurance;
• and Assist residents of Nevada with access to programs, premium assistance tax credits and cost-sharing reductions.

The Exchange is a fully operational State Based Exchange (SBE) and consumers enroll on Nevada Health Link’s website.