Obamacare Is Now a Fixture of the American Health Care System - Horowitz

Obamacare Is Now a Fixture of the American Health Care System - Horowitz

A record number of Americans—more than 21 million—used the Obamacare marketplaces to obtain health insurance in the most recent signup period, which closed for most residents in January. Over the past four years, signups have doubled. This marked increase has been driven in large measure by the Biden Administration putting in place enhanced subsidies.

 

Since Obamacare was adopted nearly 14 years ago, the percentage of Americans without health insurance has been cut in more than half.  More than 9-in-10 Americans are now insured. “Health coverage, including public coverage, is important for financial security, dramatically improves health outcomes, and has wide-ranging and long-term benefits for children,” the White House accurately summarizes.

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As it has established itself as a fixture of the health care system, Obamacare has steadily grown in popularity as well.  Now, about 6 in-10 Americans (59%) have a favorable opinion of the law, as compared to only about 4-in-10 Americans who view it unfavorably, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) national tracking poll.

 

Partisanship and ethnicity do account for some of the variation in views across the electorate. Specifically, “nearly nine in ten Democrats (87%) along with over half of independents (55%) view the law favorably, while about two thirds of Republicans (67%) hold unfavorable views,” finds KFF.  Nearly 3-in-4 Blacks (74%), and 3-in-5 (60%) Hispanics view the law favorably.  Among whites, however, views are evenly divided with about half (49%) expressing a positive view of the Affordable Care Act.

 

Among the most popular features of Obamacare are the prohibitions against insurance companies denying people with pre-conditions coverage or charging them more based on their past health history. About 2-out-of 3 Americans say that it is “very important” that these provisions protecting people with pre-conditions stay in place.  More than 1-in-4 Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 have a pre-condition, according to a KFF analysis.

 

Obamacare has survived a series of court challenges and periodic Republican efforts to repeal it. The last serious legislative effort to do away with it occurred in 2017 with President Trump leading the effort. It fell short when John McCain famously cast the deciding vote to preserve the law.

 

 Reminding people of that failed 2017 attempt, Mr. Trump recently renewed his attacks on Obamacare. “The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare,” wrote the former president on Truth Social. “I’m seriously looking at alternatives. We had a couple of Republican Senators who campaigned for 6 years against it, and then raised their hands not to terminate it. It was a low point for the Republican Party, but we should never give up!”

 

The fact that few other Republican elected officials echoed Mr. Trump’s new attack on the law is one sign that it is now firmly established. Its’ popularity makes it an uninviting political target nor have its opponents ever offered a workable alternative.

 

The task ahead is to build on the solid foundation now established by further boosting subsidies for low-income and middle-class families, making health insurance coverage purchased through the marketplaces more affordable. It is also important to make the online marketplaces less confusing and more user-friendly. These improvements would move us even closer to the goal of ensuring that every American has health insurance.

 

Make no mistake, however, Obamacare is here to stay.