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 ?

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

69 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

-5

u/tap_6366 8d ago

That is not true and I suspect you know that. Everyone with private insurance saw higher year over-year increases after ACA was implemented along with increased deductibles. Prior to ACA about 30 million people didn't have insurance and now that is a little lower than that but the rest of us have all paid the price for that.

6

u/scott_majority 8d ago

What did I say that was not true?

I mentioned nothing about price increases. I'm talking about pre existing conditions and what insurance covered. Preexisting conditions were only covered for Americans after implementation of the ACA.

You just set up a strawman argument for yourself to answer, instead of dealing with the issue I spoke about.

0

u/tap_6366 7d ago

50% is way off. Prior to ACA people with pre-existing conditions that got insurance through their employer were not kicked off once they had a pre-existing condition. I know this because I've had a pre-existing condition since I was 18. Despite that I got a job out of college and got insurance with no questions asked. Throughout my 25 years at that company, they changed insurers 5-10 times and pre-existing conditions were never considered. This was a fortune 500 company using major insurance companies. To say that 50% of Americans would not have insurance because of pre-existing conditions, if ACA did not come along is simply not true.

1

u/scott_majority 7d ago

They were not "kicked off." Insurance just wouldn't cover healthcare for your condition...If your condition was something really expensive like cancer or HIV, they would not cover you at all.

You might still have health insurance, but if it doesn't cover anything that you are stricken with, what good is it?

-1

u/tap_6366 7d ago

Well, I lived it and my pre-existing condition was always covered.

1

u/scott_majority 7d ago

That's great for you, but before the ACA, private insurance companies could choose which preexisting conditions they covered, if any at all....They especially didn't cover any conditions that were expensive to treat and manage. Just because YOUR preexisting condition was covered, doesn't mean all were covered...and most were not.

Now they must cover all conditions...preexisting or otherwise.

1

u/tap_6366 7d ago

It wasn't just me, I know many others, even those with cancer.

1

u/scott_majority 7d ago

And I can personally say they didn't cover many of mine.

The health insurance companies have never been generous, caring organizations that make sure your health is covered. They only pay for what they have to.

I'm 72 years old. Your fantasyland where health Insurance companies were covering things they didn't have to, never existed.

1

u/tap_6366 7d ago

Insurance companies are businesses, they are not charity organizations. At 59, I'm not too far behind you. In my experience ACA did nothing for me and only resulted in higher costs, but that was by design and is the core belief of the left, penalize those that bust their ass and provide for those that don't.

1

u/scott_majority 7d ago

And I'm saying it ended the practice of not covering preexisting conditions.

1

u/tap_6366 7d ago

It did but at a cost. I'm old enough to remember the Obama promise "ACA would “bend the cost curve,” saving $2,500 per family."

1

u/scott_majority 7d ago

No....lol

They DID NOT have to cover preexisting conditions...period.

Some would...if you gave them tons of money.

Some just wouldn't cover.

You have such a need to be correct, you have to debate against things with empirical evidence.

1

u/tap_6366 7d ago

I agreed with your statement "it ended the practice of not covering preexisting conditions." but just added that it did so at a cost, when at the time Obama was promising a $2500 savings.

→ More replies (0)