Is America Better Off With the Affordable Care Act?

Joe Weinlick
Posted by in Healthcare


Since its enactment in March 2010, the Affordable Care Act has given rise to heated controversy, and many conservatives argued that it would be catastrophic to the health care industry and economy as a whole. However, the numbers show that, despite its drawbacks, the Affordable Care Act is making some positive changes to the health care system that affects millions of Americans.

Politicians and U.S. citizens alike have been divided about the Affordable Care Act since it was proposed by President Barack Obama, and according to a 2014 CNN poll, the majority of responders still oppose the health care reform law. Only one in five claim to have personally benefited from it, but approximately 35 percent claim that it has either helped people in their families or others throughout the country. The 2013 release of the flaw-riddled HealthCare.gov was not a great start for the reform, but as these technical issues were addressed in the following months, the Affordable Care Act slowly began to make waves.

One of the primary goals of the Affordable Care Act is to expand health insurance coverage, and none can argue that this is not being accomplished. According to Politico Magazine, more than five million Americans signed up for health insurance coverage since the law was enacted, and three million young adults gained coverage under their parents' health insurance. Millions more were found to be eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program or Medicaid.

Although the fiscal impact of the law's enactment was a primary concern of opponents, the Congressional Budget Office's numbers show that repealing the law would actually increase the deficit by nearly $1.7 trillion over the next two decades. Costs to the public have also decreased thanks to the Affordable Care Act, with insurance premiums down approximately 15 percent, according to Politico Magazine.

Of course, the Affordable Care Act is still far from perfect. For instance, higher-income individuals now face increased Medicare and other types of taxes, and many individuals with private health insurance are having their plans canceled because they don't meet a new set of standard benefits. Additionally, pharmaceutical companies are being forced to pay large fees, which may increase the cost of drugs. The law is also increasing taxes faced by medical device manufacturers. However, these drawbacks are relatively small in comparison to the benefits the Affordable Care Act is offering the country.

The Affordable Care Act may not be everything that President Obama originally promised, but the facts show that the pros clearly outweigh the cons. The complex law has affected numerous individuals, families, companies and sectors of the health care industry, and not everyone is experiencing the benefits. Still, with millions more Americans enjoying health insurance, the country appears to be better off with the Affordable Care Act.

 

Photo courtesy of Stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net


 

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  • Roger Huth
    Roger Huth

    "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor." Lie, lie, lie!

  • Jim D.
    Jim D.

    Individual doctors are the last bastion of "if it isn't done my way it's wrong". We pay the highest rates in the WOR

  • CLAUDIA B.
    CLAUDIA B.

    Joe has his facts wrong here! I'm a sales rep for a Fortune 300 medical distirbutor, selling equipment and point of care products into alternative care sites. Since Obamacare, I have seen private physician offices suffer from the mandates that come with the ACA and either have closed their doors or have succumb to local hospitals acquiring their practices. The older providers are taking early retirement. The doctor shortage is worse than ever, especially in sparcly populated, rural areas. The mandates are costly to the physicians, and the reimbursements are lower than ever. So anyone who has a little business sense knows that rising expenses and lower reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid and the private insurance companies is a recipe for failure. Insurance premiums are definetly not lower as promised by the government, and in most cases, they are significantly higher with fewer benefits offered. Insurance premiums are now un-affordable to many who don't have the benefit of their employer helping with the majority of the premium. Obamacare is only beneficial to those who are low income, which raises the question of why didn't they just expand Medicaid instead of reinventing a superior healthcare plan that is now controlled by a government that is forcing Americans to buy something that they may not necessarily want. I'm seeing this up close, every day and once the ACA is fully implemented, the future of this industry will become even more dismal to both employees and patients.

  • Perlita L.
    Perlita L.

    Joe Weinlick is clearly a conservative Republican who has huge problems saying anything positive about Obama and Democrats even in the face of solid evidence

  • Doris Fountain
    Doris Fountain

    I put in for jobs to never here from any one.

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