Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act – Give It a Chance

Most of the media coverage on ObamaCare is politically charged and only rarely is there an article or study that provides the true facts about the program. Of course, it’s far easier to write saucy one-liners that catch the eye of whoever likes the tone of the headline, but actually studying and understanding the lengthy, complex legislation takes some time and dedication. Since no one is doing this, 95% of the people who freely offer opinions about ObamaCare haven’t the foggiest idea what they are talking about. So why not give Americans the real truth?



The truth is that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is expensive. But what do we get for our money, and is it worth it? A recent study of three states – New York, Arizona, and Maine – looked at what happened when these states expanded their Medicaid programs, which is what will happen in 2014 when the ACA finally kicks in. What they found was that people in those states had better access to healthcare, they enjoyed better health, and overall death rates declined. Unfortunately the study did not calculate the obviously enormous cost savings that is realized when people do not get sick (reduced health care costs, reduced time off of work, improved productivity, and the like). At the very least, these savings make up a big part of the total cost of the program. But the healthcare balance sheet is only a small part of the story. The United States is the wealthiest country in the world, and until now, it is the only industrialized nation without healthcare for everyone. The quality of healthcare is excellent for those who have coverage, but factoring into the equation those who do not have coverage – and considering the poor healthcare these people receive because of this oversight – results in an overall ranking of the American healthcare system as mediocre at best.

Can the ACA be improved? Without a doubt. Will it be improved? Most certainly. Should it be repealed? Absolutely not. National healthcare has been on the agenda of every American president since Kennedy, Republicans and Democrats alike. Only Obama has had the political guts to make it happen. Let’s give it a chance, figure out how to make it better, and avoid the colossal national embarrassment this country has had to suffer for providing no healthcare for about 40 million Americans.