Has Obamacare helped or hurt?

Asked by: Noel Boehm  |  Last update: August 6, 2022
Score: 5/5 (6 votes)

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.

Was Obamacare good for the economy?

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.

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.

What are the negatives of Obamacare?

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.

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.

Obamacare helping or hurting business?

37 related questions found

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 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.

Did Obamacare raise taxes?

It's been estimated that the ACA will raise taxes by $813 billion over 10 years. Over 12 of these new taxes will be on families making less than $250,000 a year.

Does Obamacare help poor?

Because the ACA envisioned low-income people receiving coverage through Medicaid, it does not provide financial assistance to people below poverty for other coverage In contrast, in states that have adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion, Medicaid eligibility is extended to nearly all low-income individuals with incomes at ...

What has Obamacare accomplished?

Access to mental health care improved. The expansion also reduced racial and ethnic disparities in both coverage and access to care. Among other improvements, the gap in uninsured rates between white and Black adults shrank by 51 percent in expansion states, but only 33 percent in non-expansion states.

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, ...

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.

How many US citizens do not have health insurance?

Uninsured people

In 2020, 31.6 million (9.7%) people of all ages were uninsured at the time of the interview (Table 1). This includes 31.2 million (11.5%) people under age 65. Among children, 3.7 million (5.0%) were uninsured, and among working- age adults, 27.5 million (13.9%) were uninsured (Figure 1).

Who pays the 3.8 Obamacare tax?

Effective Jan. 1, 2013, individual taxpayers are liable for a 3.8 percent Net Investment Income Tax on the lesser of their net investment income, or the amount by which their modified adjusted gross income exceeds the statutory threshold amount based on their filing status.

What percentage of the population is on Obamacare?

In 2016, 9 in 10 Americans had health insurance, thanks to the Affordable Care Act—in fact, the numbers reached 91.5% of Americans by 2018.

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.

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.

What is good about Obamacare?

One of the most well-known and popular features of the ACA is its rule preventing health insurance companies from denying coverage for people with preexisting conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and others.

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.

Has the number of uninsured decreased since Obamacare?

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have experienced reductions in their uninsured rates since the implementation of the ACA, with states that expanded Medicaid experiencing the largest reduction in their uninsured rate. California, Kentucky, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and West Virginia have ...

What happens if you can't afford healthcare in America?

Without health insurance coverage, a serious accident or a health issue that results in emergency care and/or an expensive treatment plan can result in poor credit or even bankruptcy.

What happens if you don't have health insurance and you go to the hospital?

However, if you don't have health insurance, you will be billed for all medical services, which may include doctor fees, hospital and medical costs, and specialists' payments. Without an insurer to absorb some or even most of those costs, the bills can increase exponentially.

Is Obama care 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.

How does the ACA impact society as a whole?

The ACA has helped millions of Americans gain insurance coverage, saved thousands of lives, and strengthened the health care system. The law has been life-changing for people who were previously uninsured, have lower incomes, or have preexisting conditions, among other groups.

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.