Health care reform: is the affordable care act a good idea? currently about 45 million americans are uninsured and with health care premiums this number is on the rise pickert. It is estimated that by 2018 health care spending will equal 20% of the us gross domestic product pickert. These alarming issues have made health care reform the primary goal of the president.

On march 23, 2010, barack obama signed into law the affordable care act, also referred to as obamacare, which plans to bring coverage to 32 million uninsured people by taxing those in higher income brackets clemmitt. This is not the first time universal health care has been implemented in the united states although it is the largest such attempt. In 2006 massachusetts governor mitt romney signed the massachusetts health care reform act into law. The law has proven wholly successful as kenneth rapoza of forbes explains, every resident is required by law to have insurance, or pay a fine. To date, 99% of the state 039 s residents have health insurance, up from around 90% before healthcare reform. That number changes drastically depending on which segment of society you look at. At least 24% of low income residents did not have health insurance prior to the 2006 law, according to the urban institute, a washington dc non partisan think tank.

The affordable care act was modeled after this system and hopes to achieve similar results but on the national level rapoza. Although the bill was not passed without scrutiny, not one republican member of congress voted for the bill to pass clemmitt. Conservatives often cite the cost of the health care plan and the constitutionality of the law. As scott gottlieb states, uncle sam will spend 036 2.6 trillion on obamacare over the next 10 years gottlieb.

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This steep cost has conservatives asking where the money will come from and for an entirely new approach to health care reform. The republican dominant house of representatives has actually voted over 30 times to get rid of obamacare which have all failed to make it through the democrat dominant senate minyanville. So why are so many people and parties split on this new legislation? well it comes down to three main points: money, personal well being, and legality. Supporters of the new law often say that the biggest benefit of the affordable care act will be the cost benefit to the people and to the economy. The new legislation will bring health care coverage to these 32 million unemployed americans by expanding medicaid, providing subsidies to help low and middle income families buy insurance, creating markets for those without employee health care coverage can buy subsidized coverage, and by using the economic clout of medicaid to cut health care costs clemmitt. These changes will in theory allow everyone to get health care coverage while also cutting costs through government subsidies for those that cannot afford or struggle to afford health care currently.

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In fact the average subsidy for those buying non group insurance that are below 400% of the poverty line will be 036 2,672 klein. Also supporters will point to the 036 190 billion dollars that the law will save the federal government over the next 10 years according to an analysis done by the center for american progress volsky. So if the bill helps people get coverage and saves them and the government money then what 039 s the problem? conservatives are arguing that the increase in taxes on the middle class and up to pay for the law will put too much of a burden on those groups to support the system.

As scott gottlieb of the new york post states, the middle class is a clear loser: it gets squeezed, since these people earn too much to qualify for adequate subsidies, but too little to afford the needlessly pricey exchange coverage gottlieb. Families with incomes greater than 036 250,0 will pay a higher medicare payroll tax up to 2.35 percent, plus a new 3.8 percent tax on interest and dividend income. With this stroke, democrats have managed to punish both work and the savings of american families, wrote sally c. Pipes, chief executive officer of the free market oriented pacific research institute in san francisco clemmitt. These imposed increase in taxes will hurt the middle class which is responsible for the majority of small businesses in the us conservatives argue. Those who oppose the bill contest that because of this small business will suffer and have to decrease the number of employees they hire.

The mandate also requires these small businesses to provide insurance to all employees if they have more than 50 employees or pay a fine surowiecki. Opponents then argue that these businesses will actively try to stay just under 50 employees to avoid having to pay for insurance which will again negatively affect the economy and the individual in the work place. Although supporters of the bill argue that over ninety percent of businesses with over 50 workers already provide insurance surowiecki.

As touched on earlier supporters of the affordable care act emphasize the benefit of the law to the well being of the american people. Simply put those who had no insurance will now be able to get insurance and cover themselves for future ailments. Currently many americans are denied health care because of pre existing illnesses or age obamacare will eliminate this and not allow insurers to deny coverage to these people clemmitt. As of february 1, 2011, about 12,500 people have enrolled in high risk pools which aids them in finding affordable health care coverage despite their pre existing illness.

This number is also expected to dramatically rise when more of the law goes into effect in 2014 when all insurers will be forced to accept all new comers regardless of preexisting illnesses clemmitt. The new legislation doesn 039 t stop there though it also will provide better health care coverage to those that have poor coverage. It is insurance but it doesn 039 t actually insure anything or it appears to cover them but in actuality it will leave the individual with high costs if a medical issue arises. Co insurance will cover about 80% of the medical costs but leave the individual with the other 20% to pay themselves pickert.

This type of insurance is common because it is much cheaper but in the event of a medical emergency can prove impossible for the person to pay because of large medical costs. Obamacare will effectively get rid of these policies and offer better coverage to those who had this type of health care. Also many people decide to get chronic disease insurance which will cover them for large surgeries or emergencies but has a very high deductible. This deductible makes routine hospital visits have to come out of the individual 039 s pocket which can lead to many financial issues pickert. Yet many opponents argue that this law will not help the well being of the individual in the health care market. Opponents state that the government is cancelling plans that the people were happy with and forcing them to take on the new obamacare plans which could be more expensive.

These new obamacare plans also can heavily restrict the person 039 s choice of doctor. Many plans restrict the choice in doctor to region or even as small as your county gottlieb. In some florida county there are as little as 7 pediatricians for roughly 250,0 children, and if one goes outside of these narrow network of doctors then all of the costs could come out of pocket. These restrictions make the new plans under the affordable care act impractical and actually a hindrance to the well being of the individual in the health care market according to those in opposition to the law gottlieb. The affordable care act has also received scrutiny for being very unfair to young people. As rituparna basu of forbes magazine explains, preventing health insurers from fully accounting for age will not change the reality that, in general, the older you are, the greater your medical expenses six times greater, when you compare 64 year olds to 18 year olds. If insurers can 039 t charge those older according to their risk, they have to overcharge those younger to make up the cost.

She goes on to state that non smoking men under the age of 25 in california can expect their rates to at least double once obamacare takes full affect basu. The new law has thus garnered many opponents who argue that the law will not actually benefit the well being of the individual in the united states. The main sticking point for many opponents of the law is simply that it goes against the constitution. At least 20 state attorneys general and several private groups are suing to stop the law clemmitt. Many fear that the law reaches too far into the liberties of everyone as an american citizen. That this would be the first time in history that the federal government requires you to buy something you don 039 t want, he said. If we allow the federal government to tell us what we can or can 039 t buy, then our liberties are gone clemmitt.