Despite a wealth of legitimate criticism of the Affordable Care Act, there is no denying that the implementation of this major health legislation has gone a long way in ensuring that the majority of Americans now have healthcare.
The jury is still out on whether that healthcare is adequate, but more than 9 in 10 of all Americans can rely on health insurance of some kind in the event of a medical emergency.
In a survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control which was released Wednesday, the uninsured rate sank to just 8.4 percent, a new all-time low. In 2015, the record was 9.1 percent – this continued growth in insured Americans is a promising note for the future.
Before Obamacare was implemented, that rate was 14.4 percent in 2013. That’s a staggering difference for millions of Americans.
This encouraging information comes shortly after one of the largest insurance companies enrolled in Obamacare, Aetna, announced their plan to pull out of the marketplace, citing unrealistic costs. Further investigation revealed that Aetna CEO and leadership were sitting pretty and making quite a profit, bringing into question their true motive to remove themselves from the marketplace.
While we are still seeking better alternatives to the ACA, as well as fighting repeal after repeal from Republicans who refuse to see the legislation as a public good, it is encouraging to see that the act has had a real, lasting impact on American citizens.
