[tuckerman]

Not being able to exclude people because of preexisting conditions and ensuring children have access to coverage seems like a pretty big success story.

Is it perfect? No, probably not. But repealing it would likely increase the budget deficit according to the CBO and put a large number of folks into a much worse situation than they are in now.

[analog31]

Indeed, at the time it was widely understood that Obamacare was about access, not cost. This was a necessary compromise in order to placate the insurance industry.

The battle over cost was left for another day.

[pton_xd]

On the one hand, yeah of course guaranteeing coverage for children and preexisting conditions is an obvious win. And removing coverage caps.

But beyond that... has average life expectancy measurably increased because of this "extra" insurance coverage?

Has the number of medical-related bankruptcies measurably decreased as a result of the expanded coverage?

I can't find solid data but everything I've seen suggests that those haven't really changed at all.

Given that, in the grand scheme of things, has anything actually improved for us, collectively? Healthcare is much more expensive now, but maybe that would have happened regardless.

[Tostino]

I saw this in the thread elsewhere, but it was a great point, so I'll repeat it: https://www.kff.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Figure-1-12.p...

Where on the chart did Obamacare get passed / implemented?

It was always about access, not cost. That pissed me off back then that single payer was not even on the table in negotiations. It was watered down to get it through, but I am still thankful that something got passed... I would still have a messed up rotator cuff from when I was 15 otherwise.

[jackthetab]

Your link goes to a blank page. :-?

[BizarroLand]

It's https://www.kff.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Figure-1-12.p...

[KetoManx64]

One of the big consequences of government programs is the unseen costs. How many businesses never got created because of the increased burden that Obamacare placed on everyone, how many ideas never came to fruition, how many new technologies never got created? How many young entrepreneurs never took the risk that could have lead to a great new technology, found a cure for cancer, etc.?

[erehweb]

If anything, Obamacare enables people to take entrepreneurial risk rather than have to stay with a job for otherwise-unavailable health insurance.

[peterashford]

Are you American? I know there are people who believe this Ayn Rand stuff but it always surprises me when I come across one

[KetoManx64]

I do love Ayn Rand and her works, and Stefan Molyneux. Great philosophers that have brought a lot of value to the world.

[mjmsmith]

One of the big consequences of being denied health insurance is dying.

[VancouverMan]

Problems like the need for health insurance, and the high cost of health care in general, have only arisen in the first place because unnecessary government-imposed regulation and government-imposed overhead have wiped out nearly all real competition in the health care sector, and introduced numerous other inefficiencies along the way.

Artificially limiting the ability of new participants to enter the market on the supply side, for example, creates an artificially-oligopolistic environment without the natural competitive pressures that force pricing down.

Even worse, this in turn results in an environment that attracts people and organizations who want to exploit these government-created inefficiencies for personal profit, rather than attracting people and organizations who want to provide higher-quality and lower-cost service than their competitors.

The end result of this government intervention is artificially-high costs for abysmal service.

The situation only gets worse when government tries to intervene with even more "solutions" for the problems that government itself created in the first place.

[rapidaneurism]

Not my Circus, as I get European 'free' coverage: is this reflected in excess death data?