Affordable Care Act Affordable Health Care

Healthcare is very expensive in the U.S. today but it is also something that everyone needs. That is why affordable healthcare would be a great program for families in America: they could have the care they require at a cost that would not impoverish them at the same time. However, with the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), healthcare costs and premiums have actually gone up for many families (Durden, 2015). Through the ACA, the government is requiring healthcare insurance be mandated for every citizen in the U.S.; however, those citizens with a limited income or who cannot afford to pay for health insurance are penalized because the premiums offered by the insurance companies are too high. This paper will show how even though having mandatory healthcare for everyone is a great idea, seniors and low income families cannot afford the insurance premiums.

Affordable healthcare is needed for everyone as Nickitas (2011) has shown: "the American public wants a health care system that works for them -- safe, effective, patient centered, and high quality" (p. 57). Moreover, as Puffer et al. (2015) show, health care has long been something that the public has required but been unable to effectively and consistently receive at affordable...

598). However, the Affordable Care Act is controversial mainly because it is questioned as to whether it actually lowers rates and makes healthcare affordable. While there is no debate about people needing health care, as health care is one of the main drivers of the U.S. economy (Goodman, 2014), what is questioned is whether the ACA does anything to help this situation by making healthcare something that low income families and seniors can afford. Many are already on Medicare and Medicaid but with the ACA more people are getting on these welfare programs because they cannot afford to pay the premiums and do not want to be taxed for not buying health insurance (Health Care Reform, 2012). So instead of getting affordable health care from providers of their own choice, they are stuck receiving care from providers covered by their welfare program. Instead of rates being lowered, rates have gone up; instead of health care being something that people can afford, it has become even more unaffordable than before.
Thus it is that high insurance premiums affect low income families and self-employed citizens. Most employed persons receive health coverage from their employer as part of their incentive package for working there. But self-employed persons and low-income families typically have no such coverage and have to pay out of pocket for their health insurance if they want it. However, the monthly costs are high in terms of the premium and the deductible that must be paid before…