Yeah but if NPR is defunded then this isn’t a story. /s
The article sometimes throws in the term Obamacare — is it still popularly called that? And do most Americans know it’s the same thing?
The article sometimes throws in the term Obamacare — is it still popularly called that? And do most Americans know it’s the same thing?
People may think they're paying full price because they make some monthly premium payment... which isn't true, as either the government subsidizes a portion of the premium, or you're getting group rates that are way cheaper than if you tried to buy insurance on your own. So even "full price" is receiving a form of subsidization through the operation of the program.
The disconnect is that the media and politicians talk about Obamacare like it's this free healthcare giveaway, so people who pay anything assume they're not on it. They could literally be using the ACA marketplace with 0 understanding that it's "Obamacare". Most people just perceive ACA as government overreach into healthcare, not realizing they're benefiting.
I'm sure it's by design.
It even shows up in poll data. This poll from Oct 2024 shows a 15 point difference when the wording changes. +34 favorable when asked how people feel about the ACA, but only +19 favorable when asked how they feel about Obamacare.
https://navigatorresearch.org/the-affordable-care-act-remain...
Labeling the ACA as Obamacare was an incredibly effective tactic to leverage the American public's racist tendencies against the public's own interests.
Also it's technically Romneycare. The political right got everything it wanted with it, similarly to when Nixon passed HMO funding that tied insurance to work, basically forcing a work requirement in order to get healthcare:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Maintenance_Organizatio...
This might be the biggest thing that caused US healthcare to double in cost vs the rest of the developed world, which provides universal or single payer healthcare to their citizens for free or nearly free.
Also the article got the numbers wrong. To be accurate, they should have said $400 or more, roughly $5000 per year for working adults pushing 40. More for families. That was 10 years ago when I was applying, I'm sure it's more now.
I'm surprised that a startup isn't providing transportation for medical tourism. A friend of mine lived in Costa Rica for a while decades ago, and care was covered even for noncitizens. So a round trip ticket and living abroad for weeks would still be cheaper than insurance plus deductible here.
It's to the point where half of you will block nationalized healthcare for the other half, even though we would continue paying double to cover you for free too. So much for objectivism.
Edit: I forgot my point, which is that I believe that healthcare may be a natural monopoly, which is when something that everyone needs must be regulated, or else it becomes a monopoly where the vendor charges as much as possible because people have no choice:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_monopoly
Other examples include electricity, water, sewer, trash and probably education.