Democrats are committed to preserving and protecting the right of everyone to have basic healthcare security. When President Johnson signed Medicare into law in 1965, that healthcare security was finally available to America’s seniors. In 1997, Democrats passed the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which currently covers 8 million kids. It has taken nearly a century to extend that basic measure of security to all Americans.

Since 2010, 20 million Americans gained healthcare coverage and the uninsured rate has been cut almost in half through the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act allows young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26, protects against discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, and has enabled 8 out of 10 Americans who purchase health insurance in the marketplace to receive benefits for less than $100 per month. The Affordable Care Act also provides tax credits to small businesses to help offset the costs of employee coverage and tax credits to help families pay for insurance. It has even allowed states to expand Medicaid to help more Americans get covered. Democrats believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and our healthcare system should put people before profit.