What is the primary purpose of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)?

The primary purpose of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to increase health insurance coverage and reduce healthcare costs. One of the significant goals of the ACA was to expand access to health insurance for millions of Americans who were previously uninsured. This was achieved through various mechanisms, such as the establishment of health insurance marketplaces, expansion of Medicaid eligibility, and the provision of subsidies to help low- and middle-income individuals afford coverage.

In addition to expanding coverage, the ACA aimed to lower the overall costs of healthcare. It introduced measures to control rising healthcare expenses, such as requiring insurance plans to cover preventive services without cost-sharing, thereby encouraging early detection and prevention of diseases. The law also aimed to improve efficiency in healthcare delivery and to address issues of wasteful spending.

The other options, while related to healthcare, do not capture the primary intent of the ACA as clearly. For instance, reducing waiting times is an important factor in healthcare access but is not the main focus of the ACA. Improving the quality of healthcare facilities is also crucial, though the ACA's more direct initiatives center on coverage and cost. Creating a universal healthcare system represents a broader goal that goes beyond the ACA’s framework, which was designed to enhance existing structures rather than to overhaul the entire system into a