Five Years After Obamacare: Significant Change for the Better, Ongoing Challenges

Strategic Insights -

Five years after its passage, the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, remains a source of controversy, but its impact on the lives of millions of Americans, including hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, has been significant. The law has reduced the number of uninsured adults by nearly half, with over 400,000 residents purchasing coverage plans through Healthcare.gov, and 90 percent of them being eligible for subsidies. Additionally, Obamacare has guaranteed free preventive care, including annual checkups and mammograms, and has put an end to coverage bans on patients with pre-existing conditions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Affordable Care Act has resulted in a nearly 50% reduction in the number of uninsured adults in Pennsylvania, from 1.2 million to approximately 600,000.
  • Over 400,000 state residents have purchased coverage plans through Healthcare.gov, with 90 percent of them being eligible for subsidies.
  • The law has guaranteed free preventive care, including annual checkups and mammograms, and has eliminated coverage bans on patients with pre-existing conditions.
  • Despite its successes, the ACA has faced challenges, including higher out-of-pocket medical costs for consumers, with 37 percent of respondents to a survey of 700 Pennsylvania adults reporting increased costs.
  • The movement to remove Andrew Jackson's image from the $20 bill and replace it with a woman's image is gaining momentum, sparked by the inherent racism and inequality associated with Jackson's policies, including the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

Statistics:

  • 50%: The reduction in the number of uninsured adults in Pennsylvania since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
  • 400,000: The number of state residents who have purchased coverage plans through Healthcare.gov.
  • 90%: The percentage of residents purchasing coverage plans through Healthcare.gov who were eligible for subsidies.
  • $20 billion: The annual cost of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forcibly relocated thousands of Native Americans.
  • 37%: The percentage of respondents to a survey of 700 Pennsylvania adults reporting increased out-of-pocket medical costs.
  • 2020: The year marking the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.

Sources:

  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 23: "Five years after Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, the law known as Obamacare remains politically divisive, but that reality disguises another one: The law has meant significant change for the better for many Americans..."
  • Providence Journal, March 22: "Benjamin Netanyahu mounted a stunning comeback in last week's Israeli elections to secure a fourth term as prime minister..."
  • Albuquerque Journal, March 22: "The United States apparently has backed down from its earlier proposed limits of 500 to 1,500 centrifuges—and even its compromise of 4,000 centrifuges. Now the offer is for Iran to cut by only 40 percent the number of machines it could use to enrich uranium for use in a bomb..."
  • The Denver Post, March 22: "There is a movement quietly gaining momentum to put a woman's image on the U.S. $20 bill, replacing Andrew Jackson..."