What is wrong with the Affordable health care Act?

Asked by: Layne Pfannerstill IV  |  Last update: September 30, 2022
Score: 4.8/5 (63 votes)

The Problem: Affordability
The ACA set standards for “affordability,” but millions remain uninsured or underinsured due to high costs, even with subsidies potentially available. High deductibles and increases in consumer cost sharing have chipped away at the affordability of ACA-compliant plans.

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.

Why do doctors not like the Affordable Care Act?

“It's a very unfair law,” said Valenti. “It puts the onus on us to determine which patients have paid premiums.” Valenti said this provision is the main reason two-thirds of doctors don't accept ACA plans. “No one wants to work and have somebody take back their paycheck,” he said.

What were the consequences of the Affordable Care Act?

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 was the most controversial aspect of the Affordable Care Act?

Individual mandate. The most legally and politically controversial aspect of the ACA, the individual mandate requires Americans to purchase health insurance or face a government penalty, with some exceptions—particularly for low-income individuals who cannot afford to buy insurance [3].

What's Wrong With the Affordable Care Act? (Lessons from the Hoover Policy Boot Camp) | Chapter Two

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Why is ACA so controversial?

The ACA has been highly controversial, despite the positive outcomes. Conservatives objected to the tax increases and higher insurance premiums needed to pay for Obamacare. Some people in the healthcare industry are critical of the additional workload and costs placed on medical providers.

Was the Affordable Care Act ruled unconstitutional?

In December 2019 the Fifth Circuit concurred that the individual mandate was unconstitutional but sent the case back to the district court to determine which, if any, portions of the ACA could remain and whether the decision should apply nationwide.

Why is the Affordable Care Act bad for the economy?

Based solely on recent economic growth, the ACA has subtracted $250 billion from GDP. At that pace, the cumulative loss by the end of the decade will exceed $1.2 trillion. Lost growth in work hours per person has removed the equivalent of 800,000 full-time jobs from the economy.

Is the Affordable Care Act a good thing?

The Affordable Care Act has both increased the number of insured Americans and improved the coverage offered by health insurance companies. Millions of previously uninsured Americans have been able to obtain health insurance because of the ACA.

What would happen if the ACA was repealed?

The health insurance industry would be upended by the elimination of A.C.A. requirements. Insurers in many markets could again deny coverage or charge higher premiums to people with pre-existing medical conditions, and they could charge women higher rates.

Did Obamacare hurt doctors?

Obamacare Affects Patients and Doctors at All Levels

While it is an added expense, it may also mean better levels of care from doctors and hospitals. At the same time, it means significant changes for doctors, some of which could be too costly for them to keep private practices open.

What do physicians think of the ACA?

The ACA is least favorable among physicians in private practice — only 20 percent view the law favorably — followed by group-practice physicians (26 percent), and hospital-based physicians (35 percent). The ACA provides greater access to healthcare but at higher costs.

Do doctors support the ACA?

The survey results indicated that physicians in surgical and procedural specialties, more of whom identified as Republicans and in 2012 reported less support for the ACA compared to primary care physicians, increased their support for the law over time more than even primary care doctors.

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.

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.

Who benefited from the Affordable Care Act?

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 much did Obamacare cost taxpayers?

This cost includes gross costs of $1.993 trillion, which includes spending on subsidies for insurance obtained through the exchanges, tax credits to small businesses and expanded Medicaid coverage, minus revenues of $643 billion, which includes penalty payments from those who don't obtain insurance and employers who ...

What did the Supreme Court say about the ACA?

The Ruling

To establish standing, a plaintiff must show an actual injury that is traceable to an invalid law and can be redressed or remedied by the courts. The Court held that with the removal of the tax penalty for noncompliance, the mandate was unenforceable against the plaintiffs.

How many times has ACA been challenged?

The Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act in three separate challenges since it was passed in 2012.

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.

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.

Why is Obamacare good?

The ACA helps cut high U.S. health care costs.

In addition to increasing insurance coverage, the Affordable Care Act makes investments in programs designed to reduce the cost and improve the quality of health care.

How has Obamacare changed healthcare?

The ACA significantly changed the healthcare system in the U.S. by reducing the amount individuals and families paid in uncompensated care. The act requires every American to have health insurance and provides assistance to those who cannot afford a plan.

How did the Affordable Care Act affect physicians?

It will gradually shift incentives and payments away from rewarding volume of services to rewarding value. Doctors who achieve the best outcomes with the lowest total insurer and patient spending – including spending for services such as hospitalization and drugs – will be paid more favorably than other physicians.

How can Obamacare be improved?

A: The single most important and achievable thing is to improve the health insurance subsidies, the advance premium tax credits, that make the purchase of individual insurance affordable for people who are eligible.