Few pieces of legislation have been as impactful to healthcare as the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Signed into law on March 23, 2010, by then-President Barack Obama, the ACA was designed to increase access to health insurance, primarily for people who couldn’t get coverage through an employer.

And it’s been pretty successful at doing so. At the time the ACA was signed, about 19% of the adult population under age 65 was uninsured. That number fell to about 8% as of 2023. By 2024, more than 45 million people received insurance thanks to the ACA, according to federal estimates.

“The Act has become so entrenched in the way…we access healthcare, that people take for granted just how extraordinary its impact has been,” Abbe Gluck, professor of law and faculty director of the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School, told Healthcare Brew. “It’s an accomplishment on par with national landmark statutes like Medicare and Medicaid and the Civil Rights Act.”

Learn more about the ACA’s impact and how it could change.—MA

Johnson & Johnson executives are bracing for impact from tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.

During an April 15 earnings call, executives said the company expects to lose about $400 million in 2025 from tariffs already in place against China and products including aluminum and steel. CEO Joaquin Duato warned that “tariffs can create disruptions in the supply chain, leading to shortages.”

“If what you want is to build manufacturing capacity in the US, both in medtech and in pharmaceuticals, the most effective answer is not tariffs, but tax policy,” Duato said.

Looming threat. The company may face further losses if the Trump administration imposes pharmaceutical tariffs, a move that is widely expected following an investigation into the national security implications of pharmaceutical imports, which the Department of Commerce announced on April 14.

Here’s a recap of J&J’s latest earnings.—MA

Welcome back to Signed and Scrubbed, a monthly roundup of hospital deals and bankruptcies.

This month, in addition to acquisitions and closures, there were notable layoffs around the industry. Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, for example, cut 300 positions, and Mass General Brigham laid off 1,500 staffers. Soon after, 50 residents and fellows at the Somerville, Massachusetts-based health system held a protest in favor of CEO salary caps.

We’ve compiled additional hospital news of note from March 2025. Here’s the deal (pun intended!).

AdventHealth. On March 1, for-profit Community Health Systems based in Franklin, Tennessee, completed the sale of ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte (254 beds) and “certain assets” of ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda (208 beds), in Florida, to AdventHealth, which is based in Altamonte Springs, Florida. The deal was worth $260 million.

East Ohio Regional Hospital. The Martins Ferry, Ohio, for-profit 140-bed hospital closed down on March 27 after reported ongoing financial issues and resignations. The hospital is not accepting new patients and is looking for a buyer.

Find our latest hospital M&A roundup here.—CM