[ctdonath]

That's what the current "Obamacare" plan was supposed to solve. After thrusting much of the health system firmly under government control, raising costs substantially, and literally fining people for being unable to afford more expensive plans, we're left with ... the same number of un- & under-insured people.

[daeken]

> we're left with ... the same number of un- & under-insured people.

No, we're not.

"Gallup reported in July 2014 that the uninsured rate among adults 18 and over fell from 18.0% in Q3 2013 to 13.4% by Q2 2014."

More Americans are insured today than ever before, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the population. This doesn't mean that the ACA is responsible, but saying that we have the same number of under/uninsured people is simply false.

[dragonwriter]

> That's what the current "Obamacare" plan was supposed to solve.

And it reduce the problem considerably (though less than it would have without the bizarre Supreme Court decision that Congress can't actually set the terms on which states get federal Medicaid funds, and particularly change the rules on Medicaid to require states accepting federal money to expand coverage -- which resulted in a number of states opting out of the expansion in Medicaid coverage that was intended to cover the lowest-income portion of the uninsured population not already covered by Medicaid -- the higher-income segment was addressed by the exchange-and-subsidy system.)

> After thrusting much of the health system firmly under government control, raising costs substantially, and literally fining people for being unable to afford more expensive plans, we're left with ... the same number of un- & under-insured people.

Actually, a much smaller number, but still more than many people would like.

[mhalle]

> After thrusting much of the health system firmly under government control,

Everyone outside of Medicare is in private insurance, which is regulated but not "firmly under government control".

> raising costs substantially,

While there is debate about whether the ACA has slowed the rate of healthcare inflation in its short life, there is no evidence that it has "raised costs substantially" across the system.

> literally fining people for being unable to afford more expensive plans

Fining people for choosing not to pay for health care if they are able. Everyone needs health care, most everyone gets (possibly lacking) healthcare when they need it, and it costs money.

The previous solution, brought to you by Ronald Reagan, was the mandate that hospital emergency rooms couldn't turn people away who needed help. A humane concept, but poor social or economic policy for addressing the healthcare system in the large.

[delecti]

> we're left with ... the same number of un- & under-insured people

That's untrue.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/182348/uninsured-rate-dips-first-...

[clavalle]

The uninsured rate has been cut in half under Obamacare.

>According to an ongoing NHIS / CDC study the current uninsured rate of 9.2% for 2015 is the lowest in over 50 years.

It started at 18%.