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The nightmare of Obamacare
The "President" has repeatedly promised the American people that "relief is on the way from the nightmare of Obamacare". Of course, every law has winners and losers, so let's figure out exactly who is suffering from this nightmare.
The majority of Americans get comprehensive health insurance through their employers. They're scarcely affected by Obamacare at all, except that now their kids can stay on their insurance until age 26, and they don't need to worry about lifetime limits on insurance payouts. Their premiums have gone up slightly since Obamacare, at roughly the same rate they were rising before Obamacare, so that's a wash. Slight winner.
Americans who are poor enough to be on Medicaid have gotten much better access to health care than before, if they live in states that accepted Obamacare's free Federal money to expand Medicaid. Big winner.
If they live in states whose legislature and/or governor turned down billions of Federal dollars that would directly benefit their poorest citizens in order to make a political point, they're no better or worse off than before. Neutral.
Americans who are not quite poor enough to be on Medicaid, but poor enough to get substantial Federal insurance subsidies, have gotten much better access to health care than before, for a price they can afford. Big winner.
Americans with chronic, expensive, pre-existing conditions, regardless of income level, have been able to get insurance (at a substantial, but not exorbitant, price) that in many cases they couldn't buy at all before. They're required to buy insurance now, but that's no loss because before Obamacare, they desperately wanted insurance and couldn't get it. And now they don't need to worry about lifetime limits on insurance payouts. Big winner.
Americans who are not poor enough to get substantial Federal insurance subsidies, but were buying comprehensive individual insurance before, now have more guarantees about what's covered in that insurance, and they don't need to worry about lifetime limits. Their premiums have gone up since Obamacare, probably at about the same rate that they were going up before. Slight winner.
Americans who are not poor enough to get substantial Federal insurance subsidies, but are also young enough and healthy enough that they're willing to go without health insurance (or with only-catastrophic health insurance), are now required to buy health insurance, at a substantial but not exorbitant price, or face a several-hundred-dollar-per-year tax surcharge. Slight loser.
Ideological small-government Republican politicians are terrified that if a Federal government program is seen to be competently helping ordinary people, the American people might get the impression that government can (a) be competent, and (b) help them, and might ask it to do so again. That's the nightmare scenario, and these are the real losers.
The majority of Americans get comprehensive health insurance through their employers. They're scarcely affected by Obamacare at all, except that now their kids can stay on their insurance until age 26, and they don't need to worry about lifetime limits on insurance payouts. Their premiums have gone up slightly since Obamacare, at roughly the same rate they were rising before Obamacare, so that's a wash. Slight winner.
Americans who are poor enough to be on Medicaid have gotten much better access to health care than before, if they live in states that accepted Obamacare's free Federal money to expand Medicaid. Big winner.
If they live in states whose legislature and/or governor turned down billions of Federal dollars that would directly benefit their poorest citizens in order to make a political point, they're no better or worse off than before. Neutral.
Americans who are not quite poor enough to be on Medicaid, but poor enough to get substantial Federal insurance subsidies, have gotten much better access to health care than before, for a price they can afford. Big winner.
Americans with chronic, expensive, pre-existing conditions, regardless of income level, have been able to get insurance (at a substantial, but not exorbitant, price) that in many cases they couldn't buy at all before. They're required to buy insurance now, but that's no loss because before Obamacare, they desperately wanted insurance and couldn't get it. And now they don't need to worry about lifetime limits on insurance payouts. Big winner.
Americans who are not poor enough to get substantial Federal insurance subsidies, but were buying comprehensive individual insurance before, now have more guarantees about what's covered in that insurance, and they don't need to worry about lifetime limits. Their premiums have gone up since Obamacare, probably at about the same rate that they were going up before. Slight winner.
Americans who are not poor enough to get substantial Federal insurance subsidies, but are also young enough and healthy enough that they're willing to go without health insurance (or with only-catastrophic health insurance), are now required to buy health insurance, at a substantial but not exorbitant price, or face a several-hundred-dollar-per-year tax surcharge. Slight loser.
Ideological small-government Republican politicians are terrified that if a Federal government program is seen to be competently helping ordinary people, the American people might get the impression that government can (a) be competent, and (b) help them, and might ask it to do so again. That's the nightmare scenario, and these are the real losers.
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