Obamacare’s Successfulness Research Paper Sample

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, but the marketplace associated with increased Health Care coverage did not open its doors until the fall of 2013, offer health coverage for the 2014 year. The three primary goals of the new healthcare program was to increase insurance availability, to protect patients through increased insurance regulation, and to reduce the cost of healthcare coverage to make it more affordable for the average American (Ried, 245).
When studying the availability of insurance to members of a variety of demographics through the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, I was surprised to discover that though the amount of the government allotted subsidy varied greatly, it did an excellent job of leveling the total cost of health insurance for families with similar demographics.
Generally, age was the factor that had the greatest effect on premium, raising the unsubsidized cost of the policy to $841 dollars per month. This was not surprising, as age is a known factor both in increasing a variety of insurance costs, like health and life insurance, and in raising the risk for serious medical illness, and increased medical claims.
I was however rather surprised at the degree to which location effected both the cost of insurance, and the subsidy. The cost of insurance in New York is half the cost of a policy in Georgia, though the family demographics are basically identical. The subsidy is also very different, which allows both the family in New York and the family in Georgia to pay similar over all premiums. This is a very interesting difference in the way that coverage costs are figured.
When comparing these costs with the price of group insurance provided by employers, the benefit really depends on the individual employers policy. When interviewing one individual, Richard Barton, who has employer provided insurance, her revealed that his personal cost for insurance is $0. His coverage is fully covered, at the cost of his employer, per the terms of his contract. He also revealed, however, that his family is uninsured because the cost of insurance is out of reach for them. They do not qualify for Exchange coverage because there is insurance available through his employer, but family coverage would cost $867 per month for his wife and two children, which totals roughly 43% of his monthly income, and very simply puts coverage out of their reach.
This highlights one of the two main groups who will remain uncovered despite the exchange. Those who have employer provided insurances at their disposal, and illegal aliens. Those who have employer provided coverage can, in fact, apply for insurance through the exchange but are not eligible for any subsidies. This means that there is not cost deferment are leveling, which will still leave insurance outside of many middle class American’s reach.
Illegal aliens are not eligible for coverage through the exchange because they are not lawfully present in the United States. The KFF FAQ page, however, recommends that aliens can shop for coverage outside of the Marketplace for private insurance (6).
When considering whether or not the Affordable Care Act is meeting its goals, one must first admit that yes, people are being insured through the marketplace, and yes, it has reduced the cost for families. More specifically, according to T. R. Ried, before the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, 50 million people were uninsured, but in 2019, after 5 years of exchange availability, roughly 23 million will still be uninsured. While this represents a 50% improvement, it still means that the expansion of coverage will fail to meet the needs of millions.

Works Cited:

"Health Reform FAQs." Health Reform. The Kaiser Family Foundation, 2015. Web. 01 Mar. 2015. <http://kff.org/health-reform/faq/health-reform-frequently-asked-questions/>.
McFall, Joseph A., Jr. "Population: A Lively Introduction." Population Bureau 58.4 (2003): 3-40. Web.
Reid, T. R. The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print.