Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services that 16.4 million uninsured Americans have obtained health insurance since the Affordable Care Act became law on March 23, 2010.

Since the start of open enrollment in the health insurance marketplaces in October 2013, the percentage of adults in the United States without health insurance has decreased from 20.3% to 13.2%.

“This report from the Department of Health and Human Services demonstrates that the Affordable Care Act continues to expand access to critical health services, even as the estimated cost of health care continues to decline. Behind these statistics are the millions of women and men who finally have the ability to obtain medical treatment for chronic conditions and to access invaluable preventative health care services. With better access to comprehensive health care, families and children will have a better quality of health and, as a result, an improved quality of life. As more states expand Medicaid and establish health insurance marketplaces developed for the needs of their people – which several Republican and Democratic governors are now trying to achieve – more Americans will have access to comprehensive health care. In New York State, for example, elected officials, community-based organizations, and health care providers have worked with each other to support enrollment in our marketplace, New York State of Health, in which more than one million people have already enrolled, often at a substantially lower cost than the individual health insurance plans that existed before the Affordable Care Act. I will continue my work in the Ninth Congressional District of New York to build on our success.”

If you are interested in enrolling in a health insurance plan, contact New York State of Health at (855) 355-5777 or https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/