As we write this article, Republicans in the US Congress once again are making no effort repair our crumbling infrastructure, or to help make post-secondary education more affordable, or to provide middle-class tax relief but, rather, they're preparing for... what, at least the 50th time?... to try and repeal the Affordable Care Act. Despite the many comical assertions and half-truths coming from politicians and media commentators on the far right, many key provisions of the ACA not only were desirable reforms to our healthcare system, but they are supported by an ever increasing majority of Americans.

What follows are five aspects of the ACA that we particularly like. Most of America does too. When public opinion polls ask Citizens if they support each of the following provisions of the Act, America says 'yes', by large margins.

So the next time your member of Congress boasts about having voting against the ACA (even though the GOP has yet to offer a replacement plan of their own), ask if they support the following provisions. And if your representative says they voted for total repeal in order to "start from scratch", ask if they will include these provisions in any replacement legislation - just don't bet on it.

(image from spine-health.com)

You Can't Lose Your Health Coverage if You Get Sick

How often had we heard stories in the past about someone getting sick and then having their insurance company find a loophole to cancel their insurance? That's a thing of the past under the ACA - if you get sick, you'll stay covered.

You Can't be Denied Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions

You probably knew someone over the years who felt they couldn't change jobs because a new employer's health plan might not cover a family member's already-existing medical condition. That's not a problem anymore - the ACA prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Insurance Companies No Longer Can Cap Your Lifetime Benefits

Most Americans don't realize that prior to passage of the ACA, most health insurance providers had a lifetime cap on the amount of benefits you could receive. Once that maximum was reached, you were on your own - you had to cover 100% of all subsequent costs. But not anymore. Your health insurance company now has to keep paying all legitimate medical expenses.

Your Children Can Stay on Your Health Policy up to Age 26, even if they aren't Full-Time Students

Prior to the ACA, once your children left school, you no longer could carry them on your family health plan. With so many entry level jobs paying so little and many employers not offering health benefits, it's nice to know that your kids now can stay on your plan until they get settled.

At Least 80% of Premiums Must be Used to Provide Health Benefits, and not used for Insurance Company Administrative Costs

If insurance company administrative costs exceed 20% of their total premium revenue, the company must refund that difference to its policyholders. These refunds have been taking place since at least August of 2012 when (per a story in Politico.com) 12.8 million Americans received refunds totaling $1.1 billion dollars. Since that time, you or someone you know may have gotten one of these payments and not realized it was the ACA you should thank for that refund.

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