Obamacare was created to fix a multitude of problems - Repeal brings them back
Something to share (specifically the list of issues that Obamacare fixed): https://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2017/01/06/back-from-the-future-a-sequel-well-all-hate/
Here are some of the reasons people were so upset about health care back then, and why the reform law was written as it was:
Premiums were increasing rapidly.
Insurers and employers were shifting more and more of the cost of coverage and care to individuals and families.
One of every six Americans, young and old alike, had become uninsured, primarily because coverage had become too expensive for them.
Young people in most states were being kicked off their parents’ policies when they turned 18.
People on Medicare were having to pay more for prescription drugs than many of them could afford.
People in their 50s and 60s were being charged up to 10 times as much as younger people for the same policy in some states.
Women were having to pay considerably more for coverage than men simply because they were born female.
Millions of people with pre-existing conditions couldn’t find policies they could afford because insurers took health status into consideration when setting prices; many people with preexisting conditions couldn’t buy coverage at any price because insurance companies considered them “uninsurable.”
Growing numbers of Americans, including women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, were getting cancellation notices from their insurers because they needed expensive care.
Insurers could sell junk insurance – policies that offered little protection in the event of an illness or accident.
Many insurers were devoting more and more of our premium dollars to overhead expenses like sales, marketing and executive compensation and to boost profits.
The U.S. led the world in health care spending per capita, yet outcomes on most measures were worse than in other developed countries.
Many people were victims of “job lock,” afraid of quitting a job they didn’t like out of fear of not being able to find affordable coverage elsewhere.
Obamacare addressed those problems
Obamacare was written to address every one of those issues and others. As a result, all of us – not just the 20 million newly insured – have benefit in these very important ways since the law went into effect:
The rate of increase in premiums has slowed for most people.
There is now a limit on how much of the cost of care insurers and employers can shift to workers and their dependents.
The number of uninsured Americans is at an historical low.
Young people can stay on their parents’ policies until age 26.
Medicare beneficiaries are paying less out of their own pockets for their prescriptions (and preventive care is now covered).
Insurers can’t charge older people more than three times as much as younger people for the same coverage.
They can’t charge women more than men.
They can’t base premiums on a person’s health status or refuse to sell coverage to an applicant because of a pre-existing condition.
They can’t cancel someone’s policy to avoid paying for expensive care.
They can’t sell junk insurance anymore.
They can’t devote more than 20 percent of the premiums we pay to overhead and profits.
The overall rate of growth in health care spending has slowed.
People have the assurance of knowing that if they leave or lose a job, they can at least get coverage through an Obamacare exchange.
Source: https://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2017/01/06/back-from-the-future-a-sequel-well-all-hate/
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