Attention to the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has largely focused on the rollout of the health insurance Marketplaces in late 2013 and the Medicaid expansions and Marketplace subsidies that took effect at the start of 2014. Yet the ACA includes many other changes and consumer protections in the private insurance market that began as early as September 2010. The goal of these early market reforms, many of which have received little attention, was to address coverage and benefit gaps in the pre-reform health insurance market. These include reforms ensuring that children with pre-existing conditions could gain stable coverage and expanded access to coverage for young adults. This brief explores whether the effects of the early market reforms have been felt on the ground by examining respondents reports of whether they or their families were affected by any of these early ACA provisions.

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