THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Posted on- January 23, 2016 at 7:45 A.M.
(Written By Joshua Hill)
This has been a real problem in my life at one point. My job payed so little I couldn't afford private health insurance, & even after I got a second job, I still couldn't afford private health Insurance. I was also making too much for Medicaid, (Even When I Had Only One Job) & because I was making so little. Whenever I had an immediate health issue I couldn't afford to pay up front with a primary care physician. I ultimately would always end up going to the Emergency Room instead. That always costs hundreds or thousands of dollars, & excluding the waiting room I would only be there 10 - 20 minutes tops.
I wasn't even going for real health problems, just things that had to be taken care of like an infection that would only go away with antibiotics or medicine I could only receive from a doctor. The Affordable Care Act is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Although it does many good things. Among many other things It can subsidize certain employers & individuals healthcare options who wouldn't normally be able to afford healthcare. It prevents private insurance companies from dropping people due to preexisting conditions. It lets children stay on their parents health insurance until the age of 26. It also extends Medicaid & Medicare for states that except it.
So after the individual mandate of The Affordable Care Act went into effect, my state (New York) accepted the expansion of Medicaid & Medicare under The Affordable Care Act. I was finally able to take advantage of the healthcare bill. The result for me is in the picture attached with this post, which shows my hospital bills before & after the ACA. For me & my personal anecdotal experience The Affordable Care Act has been favorable. Although the bill does have its upsides, & it has helped many people (Including Myself). I do understand it is not like that for everyone, so I want to be clear, I don't think The Affordable Care Act is perfect or amazing. It is lacking things like a public option. What we really need is a Single-Payer Medicare-For-All healthcare System, but The Affordable Care Act is an okay first step.
