It’s greatly expanded coverage.
I'm sorry but the old way, your way, wasn't working. Maybe it was for you but not for America. You selfish prick.For many Americans, the “Affordable” part of the Affordable Care Act has seemed like an empty promise, as premiums, deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs continue to be an extraordinary burden on millions of households.
But the law has made health care far more affordable in a number of less conspicuous ways.
For Marque Dailey of Dallas, 35, who has multiple sclerosis, the Affordable Care Act was the only way to get private insurance. Before the law, insurance companies were allowed to deny coverage to people like him who had expensive medical conditions, or to charge such a high price that many could not afford the premiums. About half of all Americans had such pre-existing conditions, including high blood pressure or lung disease, that resulted in their being denied or potentially priced out of coverage, according to one federal estimate.
It’s saved lives.
Before the law passed, researchers weren’t sure that having health insurance actually improved people’s health. Of course it made it possible for people to use more health care services. But whether those services really mattered was an unsettled question.A recent series of persuasive studies has made clear to researchers that Obamacare really did make people healthier.
Here’s its biggest flaw.
When the Affordable Care Act’s architects think about what they wish they had done differently, they often focus on one issue: the deductibles.Most health insurance plans have deductibles, an amount that patients need to pay before coverage kicks in. The Affordable Care Act, however, allowed insurers to set deductibles significantly higher than those typically faced by Americans who get health insurance at work.
Individual deductibles can go as high as $8,150. For families, the limit rises to $16,300.
The White House and Congress wrote those amounts into the law when they drafted it in order to keep the law’s overall price tag down. Looking back, they question that decision.
“We obviously made a huge mistake,” said Ezekiel J. Emanuel, who advised the Obama White House on health policy at the time. “We were under a lot of pressure to keep the price under a trillion dollars. That was constraining everything we did, from the size of the subsidies to what type of care could have no co-pay.”
Surveys of health law enrollees show that the deductibles are patients’ biggest struggle, more so than concerns about having enough doctors in-network or even the price of the premiums. In interviews, people with coverage through the law said they’re simultaneously grateful to have the peace of mind that comes with health insurance and frustrated that they still can’t afford to see a doctor.
Obamacare Turns 10. Here’s a Look at What Works and Doesn’t. (Published 2020)
With the coronavirus, a new Supreme Court case and a blistering election debate, the Affordable Care Act is facing challenges as never before. We looked at how it’s held up to its promise.
