ACA
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Affordable Care Act |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Medical, Organizations & Companies, Education & Academia |
ACA has four meanings. The most common are Affordable Care Act (health insurance) and Anterior cerebral artery (neurology); it can also stand for American Counseling Association and Associate Chartered Accountant.
Meanings of ACA at a glance
| # | ACA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Affordable Care Act | Medical › Health Insurance |
| 2 | Anterior cerebral artery | Medical › Neurology |
| 3 | American Counseling Association | Organizations & Companies › Professional Association and Labor Union |
| 4 | Associate Chartered Accountant | Education & Academia › Professional Certification |
1. Affordable Care Act
Medical · Health Insurance Abbreviations · also used in government
US health reform law signed March 23, 2010, formally the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and widely called Obamacare. It created health insurance marketplaces with income-based subsidies, expanded Medicaid, banned coverage denials for pre-existing conditions and let young adults stay on a parent's plan until age 26.
Example: Under the ACA, the insurer can't deny coverage because of her diabetes.
The Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate in 2012 (NFIB v. Sebelius) while making Medicaid expansion optional for states, and rejected later challenges in 2015 and 2021. The law also requires most plans to cover recommended preventive services without cost sharing, set medical loss ratio rules and created the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Also abbreviated PPACA.
2. Anterior cerebral artery
Medical · Neurology Abbreviations
Branch of the internal carotid artery that runs between the brain's hemispheres, supplying the medial frontal and parietal lobes, including motor and sensory areas for the leg. The two ACAs are joined by the anterior communicating artery.
Example: ACA territory stroke: right leg weakness greater than arm, urinary incontinence and abulia.
ACA strokes are relatively uncommon and produce weakness and sensory loss greater in the leg than the arm, plus apathy or reduced initiative when frontal areas are involved. The anterior communicating artery junction is the most frequent site of intracranial aneurysms. In US health policy ACA means the Affordable Care Act.
3. American Counseling Association
Organizations & Companies · Professional Association and Labor Union Abbreviations
Professional organization of counselors in mental health, school, rehabilitation and other settings, which publishes the ACA Code of Ethics followed by licensed professional counselors.
Example: The counselor cited the ACA Code of Ethics on maintaining client confidentiality.
Founded in 1952 as the American Personnel and Guidance Association, it took its current name in 1992. It advocates for licensure of professional counselors in every state and for their inclusion in Medicare, which began in 2024. In health policy, ACA usually means the Affordable Care Act.
4. Associate Chartered Accountant
Education & Academia · Professional Certification Abbreviations
Designation used by members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), and also by associate members of ICAI in India, after completing the institute's exams and supervised training. Senior members become Fellows and use FCA.
Example: The finance director, an ACA, trained at a Big Four firm in London.
The ICAEW qualification consists of 15 modules and three years of practical work experience. In US health policy, ACA usually means the Affordable Care Act, a completely different meaning. ICAEW holds a royal charter dating to 1880.
Related abbreviations
More health insurance abbreviations
- ABN – Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage
- ACO – Accountable care organization
- AEP – Annual Enrollment Period
- AOB – Assignment of benefits
- APC – Ambulatory payment classification
- APTC – Advance premium tax credit
- ASO – Administrative services only
- AV – Actuarial value
See all 107 health insurance abbreviations →
More neurology abbreviations
- ABCD2 – Age, Blood pressure, Clinical features, Duration, Diabetes
- AChR – Acetylcholine receptor
- ACom – Anterior communicating artery
- AD – Alzheimer's disease
- ADEM – Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
- AED – Antiepileptic drug
- AIS – Acute ischemic stroke
- ALS – Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
See all 131 neurology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.