What were the unintended consequences of the ACA?
Asked by: Prof. Katherine Hessel | Last update: January 27, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (41 votes)
What are the unintended consequences of the ACA?
Consolidation in the private health insurance market causes premiums to go up, with larger insurers often paying negotiated, lower prices to health care providers while charging more to employers and individual members.
What are the negative effects of the Affordable Care Act?
It was also known that consumers would face a very different health insurance world under the ACA, with some people seeing their premiums go down and some seeing them go up, and the majority of Americans seeing higher deductibles, higher copays, and a smaller pool of providers.
What were the unforeseen barriers of the ACA?
Despite the availability of subsidies and cost-sharing reductions, the reliance of the ACA on health insurance exchanges might increase access to health insurance, but simultaneously pose unintended barriers to access through creation of narrow networks and existence of high-deductible Bronze plans.
Which of the following was the intended consequence of the Affordable Care Act?
When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law on March 23, 2010, policymakers intended that it would improve access to care by lowering the uninsured rate, improve health care quality, and lower costs.
The Unintended Consequences of Obamacare in Rural America
What issues and problems did the Affordable Care Act aim to solve?
- Make affordable health insurance available to more people. ...
- Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the FPL. ...
- Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally.
What is a controversial provision of the Affordable Care Act?
The heart of the ACA — and its most controversial provision — is the individual mandate. This provision requires individuals to obtain health insurance or pay the aforementioned penalty. The government advanced two primary theories supporting the individual mandate's constitutionality.
What has been strongly challenged under the ACA?
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare, the aspect that has faced significant challenge is the mandatory purchase of health insurance, hence the correct option is D).
What rapidly declined with the implementation of ACA?
Multiple studies of the ACA found declines in trouble paying medical bills and reductions in medical debt in expansion states relative to non-expansion states.
What is the challenge to the Affordable Care Act?
In California, after determining the individual plaintiffs had standing to bring the case, the district court considered the merits of their challenge and ruled that the individual mandate was unconstitutional and the rest of the Act's provisions were not severable.
Why did people not like Affordable Care Act?
Despite these positive changes, a near majority of Americans still oppose the ACA, even though they approve of most of its features. They oppose the mandate that all Americans must have health insurance (the individual mandate), and they oppose a government role in health care.
What is the moral hazard of the Affordable Care Act?
In the context of health insurance, the term “moral hazard” is used to capture the idea that insurance coverage, by lowering the marginal cost of care to the individual (commonly referred to as the out-of-pocket cost), may increase healthcare use.
What are the unintended consequences of federal regulatory accumulation?
Regulatory accumulation stunts economic growth. Studies find that an increase in regulation is associated with a decrease in GDP. For example, the accumulation of regulation manifests in high barriers to entry for entrepreneurs, which decreases economic growth.
In which 3 ways did the Affordable Care Act affect individuals?
- If you get sick, an insurance company cannot cancel your policy.
- Health insurance companies cannot turn down your application because of your health status.
- Women can no longer be charged more for insurance than men.
What are the pros and cons of the Affordable Care Act?
The pros of the ACA include prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on health history and providing subsidies to reduce premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The cons of the ACA include small business challenges and limited provider options in some regions.
What happens in America if you can't afford healthcare?
Americans are no longer taxed for not carrying health insurance. Medical debt contributes to a large number of bankruptcies in America. Access to quality primary care is critical, but doctors have the right to refuse patients without insurance or who are able to pay out-of-pocket expenses.
What are the problems of universal health coverage?
A wide range of challenges present barriers to progress on UHC. On a broader national level, these include lack of coordination within and between health departments and other agencies, inadequate human resources for services delivery, and insufficient financial allocations.
Which of the following was the most controversial element of the Affordable Care Act ACA?
Final answer: The most controversial aspect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the individual mandate, which required individuals to purchase health insurance or face a penalty. Critics viewed this as an infringement on personal freedoms and it sparked legal challenges that reached the Supreme Court.
What impact has the ACA had on health disparities?
The ACA has reduced racial/ethnic disparities in coverage, although substantial disparities remain. Further increases in coverage will require Medicaid expansion by more states and improved program take-up in states that have already done so.
Why is the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional?
United States Department of Health and Human Services declared the law unconstitutional in an action brought by 26 states, on the grounds that the individual mandate to purchase insurance exceeds the authority of Congress to regulate interstate commerce.
What are ethical issues with the Affordable Care Act?
The recently enacted Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 has fueled ethical debate of several important controversial topics. Ethical issues of health care reform include moral foundations, cost containment, public health, access to care, ED crowding, and end-of-life issues.
How much does Obamacare cost the government each year?
Furthermore, they confirmed high-income individuals will receive fully taxpayer-subsidized health insurance under the policy. Just five years ago, annual spending on Obamacare subsidies was $57 billion. In 2024, annual spending on Obamacare subsidies is projected to more than double to $125 billion.