AMA Journal
Since the
Affordable Care Act became law, the uninsured rate has declined by 43%,
from 16.0% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2015, primarily because of the law’s
reforms. Research has documented accompanying improvements in access to
care (for example, an estimated reduction in the share of non-elderly
adults unable to afford care of 5.5 percentage points), financial
security (for example, an estimated reduction in debts sent to
collection of $600-$1000 per person gaining Medicaid coverage), and
health (for example, an estimated reduction in the share of nonelderly
adults reporting fair or poor health of 3.4 percentage points). ... Despite this progress, major
opportunities to improve the health care system remain.
2 comments:
"Affordable Care" and affording health insurance, are too different things, but you'd never know it from all the ACA boosterism one sees in the press. The plans are so expensive that people can't afford the care they need, because they are spending obscene amounts of money paying premiums. Premiums that only serve to enrich insurance companies, but don't insure practical affordable access to healthcare services.
I get to see my doctor once a year with my health plan, but if I need an expensive diagnostic test,or additional office visit, I'm out of luck, because I need to spend $6000 a year in approved healthcare costs out of pocket, before my insurance will do anything more then offer me a few minor discounts on services and drugs. Services that they don't let me know what it will cost, until after I've gotten the test. Then if I get the test, I find it's costs will suck up most of my money beyond mortgage and utilities, while cutting deeply into my food and transportation budget for the next 6 months or more, so I cannot afford to address the results of the test until my next year's "wellness" visit. At that time I probably won't be able to afford the prescriptions, or procedures the test suggests I need.
Before 2014 my health insurance offered me a great deal more in services, with only $1000 deductible and greater discounts, but ACA has mostly left my health insurance in ruins. Only now, if I don't pay the premiums, I get taxed for being poor.
Seems to equate being insured with being covered. Coverage is the big issue. And of course no mention of rising premiums and deductibles. I don’t think the alleged benefits identified in this article offset the losses.
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