Opinion: The Affordable Care Act forgot to be affordable – Greenwich Time

The Affordable Care Act (also known as the ACA or Obamacare) is distinguished by many small wins and one big loss, like a kid that does all the homework and yet fails the final exam.

Since it was signed into law in 2010, it has expanded Medicaid, created health insurance exchanges and allowed more than 23 million people to have health insurance in 2019 that would have otherwise gone without. Despite these wins, among others, 41 percent of Americans still view the ACA in an unfavorable light, according to a survey done by Statista. This continued disapproval of a law that was signed in 2010 indicate that there are real problems with the ACA beyond the partisan views of it.

Where is the major failure in the ACA? Simply in being affordable. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in 2017, 45 percent of uninsured individuals stated that cost was the primary reason they did not enroll in health care insurance. Most of these individuals come from either a low-income family, are immigrants or are young adults without parents that have insurance.

This high cost of health insurance can partially be attributed to the increased risk pool health insurance companies are experiencing. By eliminating the individual mandate penalty, health insurance companies have had to raise their premiums and deductibles to cover the increased financial risk they were made to experience. Without this penalty, in effect eliminating the individual mandate completely, there is little reason for young and healthy adults to purchase health insurance. This results in a larger proportion of insured individuals that are older and have chronic health conditions, requiring more expenditures to cover.

Another reason for the increase in the cost of health insurance is the end of cost-sharing reduction subsidies the federal government was paying to health insurers in 2017. This resulted in an average increase in health insurance premiums of 28 percent to 40 percent on the health care exchange.

Not only did the ACA fail to control the rising cost of insurance, but it also failed to make health care and prescribed medicines affordable. According to a West Health and Gallup, 30 percent of surveyed individuals did not seek needed medical treatment due to the cost from September to October 2021. During this time, 14 percent of respondents were unable to pay for prescribed medication and one in 10 Americans reported that they skipped doses to save medicine and, therefore, money. For those that could afford their needed health care, 71 percent did not feel they pay too much for the quality of health care they receive. These factors in turn contribute to an overall worsening of the health of Americans and increased dissatisfaction with our health care system as it stands.

The next question is: What do Americans want our political leaders to do about this problem? Pew Research Center found that the top three priorities Americans want the president and Congress to address in 2022 are: strengthening the economy, reducing health care costs and dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. One clear way to do this is to increase the responsibility of the federal government to provide health care coverage for Americans. In 2020, 63 percent of Americans already believed that this was the responsibility of the federal government, either by a single national government health care program or by a mix of that and private programs.

Americans may want the federal government to take more responsibility for the health of its people, but 66 percent believe they have no power to change the health care system for the better, according to Gallup. These feelings of helplessness and apathy are the result of decades of politicians ignoring the will of the majority in favor of the vocal minority. Average Americans need to be empowered to share their view to their local representatives. These representatives are obligated to then bring these views forward, regardless of their personal opinions or donations received. I call on everyone that is dissatisfied with the state of health care in America to bring their view forward to their congresspeople. I call on those elected officials to drop partisan politics and come together to make the American health care system affordable, as promised.

Overall, I would give the ACA a grade of “C” as it did provide some significant benefits to Americans but failed to understand the assignment. As we (hopefully) approach the endemic stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is time to reevaluate the ACA and create a robust and sustainable health care system that meets its promise of being affordable.

Jonna Thomas, of Monroe, is a Master of Public Health student at the University of Vermont.