Did Obamacare help the poor?

Asked by: Carlee O'Keefe V  |  Last update: March 7, 2023
Score: 4.9/5 (7 votes)

For those in these lowest-income percentiles, gaining Medicaid coverage virtually eliminated out-of-pocket health care spending; thus, the ACA increased average income as a percentage of the federal poverty level by 18.8 percent, 13.0 percent, 8.4 percent, and 8.4 percent among those in the tenth, twentieth, thirtieth, ...

Has Obamacare helped or hurt?

Indisputably, yes. More than 20 million people have gained coverage as a result of the ACA. It has dramatically reduced the uninsured rate. On the day President Obama signed the ACA, 16 percent of Americans were uninsured; in March 2020, it was nine percent.

Did Obamacare help people?

Millions of Americans have benefitted by receiving insurance coverage through the ACA. Many of these people were unemployed or had low-paying jobs. Some couldn't work because of a disability or family obligations.

Did the ACA hurt the middle class?

The financial burden for middle class families who don't qualify for tax credits in Affordable Care Act coverage is rising fast, according to a study published in Health Affairs. The report noted some families would again face substantial financial burdens after the temporary tax subsidies for the ACA expire.

Who actually benefited from Obamacare?

More than 20 million Americans gained health insurance under the ACA. Black Americans, children and small-business owners have especially benefited. Thirty-seven states have expanded Medicaid, deepening their pool of eligible residents to those who live at or below 138% of the federal poverty level.

How Medicaid & Obamacare Hurt the Poor - and How to Fix Them

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Who suffered the most from Obamacare?

Low-income, privately insured people had the worst results in the analysis, seeing no benefit from the ACA: They had the highest rate of catastrophic health care spending before the law passed in 2010 and continued to have it in 2017: 35% compared with 8% for people on Medicaid.

Why the Affordable Care Act failed?

Not only did the ACA fail to control the rising cost of insurance, but it also failed to make health care and prescribed medicines affordable. According to a West Health and Gallup, 30 percent of surveyed individuals did not seek needed medical treatment due to the cost from September to October 2021.

How did Obamacare affect low income families?

For those in these lowest-income percentiles, gaining Medicaid coverage virtually eliminated out-of-pocket health care spending; thus, the ACA increased average income as a percentage of the federal poverty level by 18.8 percent, 13.0 percent, 8.4 percent, and 8.4 percent among those in the tenth, twentieth, thirtieth, ...

What was the impact of Obamacare?

The ACA enabled people to gain coverage by 1) expanding the publicly funded Medicaid program to cover adults with annual incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level; 2) establishing the Health Insurance Marketplace for individuals and small businesses, allowing them to purchase private health insurance (PHI); and 3 ...

What is the economic impact of the Affordable Care Act?

In reviewing evidence over the past five years, this report concludes that the ACA has had no net negative economic impact and, in fact, has likely helped to stimulate growth by contributing to the slower rise in health care costs. Support for this research was provided by The Commonwealth Fund.

Why do doctors not like Obamacare?

Dr. Richard Amerling, a New York City physician who is president of the AAPS, said Obamacare has set up a “bad business model” for private physicians. Doctors, he said, can't adjust their rates to keep up with expenses. In addition, electronic record keeping is a burden both in terms of cost and time.

How did the ACA affect the middle class?

While median family income for those in the affected income brackets increased by 3.5% from 2015 to 2019, the lowest available premiums surged between nearly 50% and 59%. The burden also shifted based on how much the family earned.

What are the cons of the Affordable Care Act?

Cons:
  • The cost has not decreased for everyone. Those who do not qualify for subsidies may find marketplace health insurance plans unaffordable. ...
  • Loss of company-sponsored health plans. ...
  • Tax penalties. ...
  • Shrinking networks. ...
  • Shopping for coverage can be complicated.

How did the Affordable Care Act affect health insurance coverage among the working poor?

These features included federal subsidies to expand eligibility for Medicaid to all Americans with incomes of up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level 15 and large premium subsidies for people with incomes of 100–400 percent of poverty who purchase insurance on the newly created exchanges.

Has ObamaCare worked statistics?

Obamacare Statistics and ACA's Impact on Insurance Rates

According to research, premium increases have averaged 4.5% from 2006 to 2010. This increase has been steady at 3.6% since 2012. The latest premiums of the Affordable Care Act are at its lowest it has been since its inception.

Is ObamaCare free?

ObamaCare is Free

ObamaCare is a law that requires compulsory or mandatory insurance – not healthcare. We are all required to buy insurance that is subsidized by our employers and/or possibly the government. Employers are only required to pay up to 60% of the cost of insurance premiums.

Who pays for the Affordable Care Act?

Under the ACA, the federal government pays 100 percent of the coverage costs for those newly insured under Medicaid expansion. After 2016, the federal share shrinks to 90 percent, which is still considerably more than the pre-ACA level.

How did the Affordable Care Act benefit minorities?

The percentage of Blacks without health insurance decreased by 5.6 percentage points in expansion states and by 4 percentage points in nonexpansion states. For Hispanics, the uninsured rate decreased by more than 7 percentage points in expansion states and by 5.1 to 5.4 percentage points in nonexpansion states.

Why is affordable healthcare so expensive?

The price of medical care is the single biggest factor behind U.S. healthcare costs, accounting for 90% of spending. These expenditures reflect the cost of caring for those with chronic or long-term medical conditions, an aging population and the increased cost of new medicines, procedures and technologies.

What is Trumpcare health?

What Is Trumpcare? Trumpcare is the moniker given to the American Health Care Act (ACHA), the bill that was designed to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) put in place by former President Obama. The ACHA was drafted by President Trump's Republican party and championed by House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Does universal healthcare reduce social inequality?

As health care costs rise, the amount of money effectively transferred to low-income Americans through public health care programs like Medicaid and Medicare increases as well, reducing social inequality.

How does healthcare inequality relate to income and wealth inequality?

First, health care spending—the realm of medical professionals—can worsen income inequality, at both individual and systemic levels. Individually, poor people have to spend a much greater proportion of their income on health care than richer people do.

How does income affect health insurance?

We find that people in lower-income families with employer coverage spend a greater share of their income on health costs than those with higher incomes, and that the health status of family members is associated with higher health-related expenses.

Is there a link between poverty and poor health?

Poverty is a major cause of ill health and a barrier to accessing health care when needed. This relationship is financial: the poor cannot afford to purchase those things that are needed for good health, including sufficient quantities of quality food and health care.

Is healthcare affordable in the US?

Health care costs a great deal. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that in 2014 we spent on average $9,695 for every man, woman, and child in the United States on health care. This means that the average household of 2.54 persons spent on average, over $24,625.