Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and YOU!
I've seen plenty of friends on Facebook shouting the sky is falling because the Supreme Court has ruled the Affordable Care Act to be constitutional. The right-wing communist argument doesn't work against this act or what it's trying to accomplish, let me explain.
Currently those who pay for health insurance are subsidizing those who aren't. The ACA makes sure everyone is in the health insurance pool. Personally, I'm tired of paying for people treating the ER as their personal doctor when they have a cold or cut. People come into the ER who can't afford to pay their bills. The hospital passes the costs along to those who can pay which causes health insurance to go up. So now those who come into the hospital that do not have health insurance will be required to pay a tax which will assist in paying for their coverage.
The current health care system is fundamentally flawed. 82.9%(1) of the population had health insurance last year. 45%(1) of Americans had health insurance through their employers in 2011. And 17.1%(1) had no insurance at all. Employers have been dropping health insurance or decreasing their match because of the rampant increase in rates over the past decade. People had to get private insurance because of multiple reasons. Here are three of the most common reasons. Health insurance could be denied or dropped due to pre-existing conditions, health insurance was dropped by employer because it was too costly, or someone's lifetime limit was reached. Those with private health insurance pay way more than an employer based program. Insurance companies can afford to give discounts to larger groups of people.
The ACA will not allow insurance companies to drop or deny people based on pre-existing conditions, will subsidize or give tax benefits to businesses that offer health insurance, and eliminate the lifetime limit that currently exists in health insurance policies. Under the ACA, those who currently pay for private health insurance will be able to shop for lower rates and those who currently do not have health insurance due to being denied coverage will be able to attain affordable policies. The ACA benefits everyone, even those who feel they do not need health insurance or don't want to pay for it.
Silly Argument against Affordable Care Act #67: "I don't want to pay for something I don't need. I'm fit and healthy and will just purchase insurance when I get sick."
Guess what? The current system allows insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. As soon as you're diagnosed with organ disease #107 it's now considered a pre-existing condition and most insurance companies will not grant you a policy.
Affordable Care Act makes health care available to those with pre-existing conditions.
Also, did you know that being a woman is currently a pre-existing condition? I've seen more men put down the ACA then woman. I think they have a better understanding of the benefits of this act.
Did you know under the current law that insurance providers can charge women a 150%(2) premium over what they charge men? Why? Because they can have children and children cost money. Due to the ACA, insurance companies cannot discriminate based on gender.
(1)http://www.gallup.com/poll/152621/fewer-americans-employer-based-health-insurance.aspx
(2)http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/women.html
