Americans generally hold differing opinions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or what has come to be known as Obamacare. Many appreciate individual provisions of the bill – such as closing Medicare “doughnut holes”, creating health insurance exchanges, and mandating that at least 80 percent of premium dollars be allocated towards healthcare rather than administrative costs.
It’s a government program
At its inception, the Affordable Care Act promised Americans better healthcare at lower costs. Yet two years after passing into law, health insurance costs are skyrocketing beyond many families’ means and many can no longer afford coverage.
Some individuals oppose Obamacare because of its increased government presence and intrusion into their lives. Furthermore, they object to its mandate that most Americans purchase insurance or face a penalty payment and its expansion of Medicaid services.
Many Americans are also unhappy about how the Affordable Care Act taxes medical device sales and pharmaceutical sales to help fund its cost-sharing subsidies, as well as its increase in taxes for higher income people to fund Medicare. Although these are valid concerns, these do not represent the entire picture: in reality, the ACA is making prescription drugs more accessible for Medicare beneficiaries and low-income Americans alike.
It’s a tax
The Affordable Care Act goes far beyond simply lowering the cost of health insurance by providing consumers and doctors with important consumer protections that help ensure they remain in charge of their own care. These include prohibiting health insurers from setting annual limits on coverage; mandating that all individual and small group health plans cover essential benefits like maternity, mental health and preventive services; as well as expanding young adult coverage so parents can keep children on their health plan until age 26.
The Affordable Care Act is funded through various taxes, such as fees levied on health insurers, medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. Furthermore, an individual mandate exists under this act that requires individuals to have qualifying health coverage or face penalties that vary based on income levels – this penalty adjusts annually.
The Supreme Court is considering overturning or changing laws. A change could impact more than 20 million Americans and raise costs for middle class families.
It’s a mandate
At first, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was first passed into law, it quickly became the go-to source for any issue in health care – from rising prescription drug costs to insurers refusing to cover certain high-cost providers like teaching hospitals – that occurred prior to being addressed by it. But instead, many such issues predated its introduction.
The Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, requiring Americans to enroll in health coverage or pay a fine, was an especially contentious part of its program. Critics view it as an intrusion by government into people’s private lives and feel it constitutes intrusive regulation.
Some have even argued that the mandate was unconstitutional, claiming it unfair to force people to pay for something they don’t want or need. Yet the Supreme Court upheld this provision of the Affordable Care Act; their landmark decision could still have significant ramifications on its future implementation – especially given Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment to the court.
It’s a lie
The Affordable Care Act is an expansive government program that mandates everyone have health insurance or pay a fine, while offering subsidies to those whose income falls below poverty level. This represents an unprecedented shift in federal government involvement with our health care system, leading many Americans to feel uncomfortable with and oppose this change in our healthcare system.
Obamacare supporters have made false and misleading claims regarding how much the bill would save families financially; now these statements are under examination by experts like Jonathan Gruber of MIT Economics Department who helped write Affordable Care Act and has recently released four videos discussing how Obama administration mislead voters into supporting it.
Obamacare still faces significant opposition among American citizens and polls show a majority of them opposing it, with many unhappy they can no longer keep their health insurance plans and doctors, paying higher premiums, or seeing their tax dollars used to pay for sex-change operations and abortions on demand.
