DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement on the eighth anniversary of President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act:

“On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the most significant reforms to our health care system in half a century, declaring that health care is a right for all, not a privilege for a wealthy few. Under President Obama’s leadership, more than 20 million Americans have gained health coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Thanks to this law, the uninsured rate in the United States dropped to a record low; people can no longer be denied coverage for having a pre-existing condition; young people can stay on their parents’ plans until they’re 26 years old; and more than 55 million women have gained access to birth control with no co-pay.

“That’s what Democratic leadership looks like. It is an undeniable fact that these reforms have saved lives and made our country stronger. And yet, President Trump and Republicans in Congress have made it their mission to repeal the ACA and strip health care from millions of Americans. Their efforts to sabotage the law have already left millions more Americans without coverage and will cause premiums to skyrocket.

“Democrats and the American people believe health care is a right. Republican efforts to take it away are wrong. And we will continue to fight tirelessly to protect the ACA at every turn and expand health care for more Americans.”

The Affordable Care Act extended coverage to more than 20 million Americans, expanded Medicaid and improved coverage.

• 20.5 million previously uninsured Americans gained health insurance coverage between the ACA’s passage and when Obama left office.

• Thanks to the ACA, Americans across the country gained access to better care:

• The ACA’s Medicaid expansion produced historic health coverage gains.

• The ACA prohibited insurers from denying coverage to individuals based on preexisting medical conditions such as cancer, asthma or depression.

• The ACA requires insurers to cover essential health benefits, such as hospitalization, prescription drugs, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and pediatric services.

• The ACA allows adult children to stay on their parent’s insurance plans until they turn 26.

Trump and Republicans have repeatedly sought to sabotage the ACA’s progress, sending premiums skyrocketing and restricting access to quality health care coverage.

• Trump’s repeated attempts to sabotage the ACA have resulted in millions more uninsured Americans and double-digit health care premium hikes in states across the country.

• Republicans repeatedly tried to pass ACA repeal bills that would kick millions off their health insurance, gut funding for Medicaid, allow insurers to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions, and allow insurers to sell plans that don’t cover essential health benefits.

• Failing in their effort to repeal the ACA, the Trump administration has relentlessly tried to destroy the health care law by sabotaging it on their own.