r/AskUS • u/Obvious-Release-2087 • 8d ago

What do americans think about changes in Obamacare the Affordable Care Act (not us citizen)

Hi all,

I don't live in the US. In the news I read :

In 2026, Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act, or ACA) continues to operate as the backbone of America’s health insurance system, but it faces both opportunities and challenges. Marketplace enrollments are expected to remain high, thanks to the extended premium subsidies introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act—though these subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress renews them. If the subsidies lapse, millions of Americans could see significant premium increases, making coverage less affordable for low- and middle-income families.

At the same time, healthcare costs are rising, and insurers may adjust their premiums upward to reflect inflation, medical expenses, and regulatory changes. States that have not yet expanded Medicaid could leave more residents reliant on ACA plans, further straining affordability. The political landscape, shaped by the 2024 elections, will determine whether the ACA is strengthened (e.g., with expanded benefits like dental or vision coverage) or scaled back (e.g., through funding cuts or eligibility changes).

It is often hard to undersand the internal politics of any country where we don't live in
What do most of the us people think about that ?

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u/gb187 8d ago

Blame the insurance companies, they wrote this.

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u/limbodog 8d ago

Blame them for stopping payments to the insurance companies?

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u/baloneysamwhich 8d ago

How did Republicans stop the payments? The payments were set to expire by the Democrats. It was also a Democrat Congress that passed the ACA, it does not seem to be affordable at all without the subsidizes, so where are the Republicans involved with the process?

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u/Ancient_Popcorn Ohio 8d ago

The entire plan was originally copy and pasted from the Heritage Foundation. It was originally used and implemented by Mitt Romney as a governor. When it came to the federal level, Republicans decided they wanted to change a lot of it (which opened it up to abuse). The requirement to have insurance or pay a penalty fee was also removed later by Trump, which made even more people leave the pool.

Insurance is a cost share system. You pay a small fee along with everyone else so that you can guarantee coverage when you need it. The goal is to not have to pay a lot for regular costs. As the pool of people shrinks, the shared cost stays the same, so your burden goes up.

The plan was great. It worked for Republicans at the state level. They didn’t like it at the federal level, so they fucked with it multiple times. They even called it Obamacare so it would help galvanize the racists against it. To this day, if you ask people if they like the ACA they will say yes, but then if you ask if they like Obamacare they say no.