Affordable Care Act (aka ACA or ObamaCare): Now we really know what's in it

On March 9, 2010, Pelosi spoke to the National Association of Counties about ObamaCare. Here's a snippet of what she said, just days from ObamaCare passing:

...It's going to be very, very exciting. But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.

Fast forward about four years later. Americans are finding out what ObamaCare is all about, and it is certainly not affordable for many millions of Americans.

Health care coverage based on ObamaCare will begin on January 1, 2014. Open enrollment was in effect--01 Oct 2013 to 31 Mar 2014. So if you are one of the few Americans whom this law was enacted for, you probably experienced some very long waits. Healthcare.gov, the online healthcare plan marketplace, opened on 01 Oct 2013. Unfortunately, the web site was poorly designed, and wasn't ready for prime time. People took days to complete their applications because the site could not handle the incoming load.

After months of rework, the web site improved, and just days after the expiration of open enrollment some news organizations report that ObamaCare enrollments hit 8 million enrollments (see "Obamacare Signups Hit 8 Million," New Republic). However, Forbes.com presents a different picture. The real count should take into account who has actually paid into the plan. They state that if you count it that way, the actual count is somewhere around 4 to 5 million (see "How Many People Did Obamacare Really Enroll," Forbes).

In 2009, the media have already picked up on President Obama's mantra of "If you like your plan, you can keep your plan..."

Even in 2009 some of the press have already figured out that his promise was questionable ("President Obama Continues Questionable You Can Keep Your Healthcare Promise", ABC News). After being pressed on this, President Obama clarified that the government isn't going to force anyone to drop their coverage. This was definitely a true statement, but unfortunately, the law forced the plan providers to drop certain plans that failed to meet the minimum requirements of ACA. The result, people weren't able to keep the plan that President Obama promised they could keep, if they liked it.

Below is a video montage of the many times this questionable promise was repeated to the American people.

The answer to this is an absolute mixed bag. If you do a search on the web for "is ACA less expensive" you will get a mixed bag of articles. Some say it is cheaper, some say it is more expensive, and others say it is a mixed bag.

One thing for sure, ACA isn't affordable for everyone. In fact, for some it really isn't affordable due to the high deductible. When you have a high deductible, everything comes out of your pocket until you hit the deductible threshold. For those with no money, that threshold is going to be way too high.

You may have healthcare coverage, but the problem might be finding a clinic or hospital that takes it.

I mention this because a friend of mine works at a clinic. She mentioned that their clinic doesn't take ObamaCare. She also mentioned that she knows of people who have signed up for Obamacare and are having a tough time finding places that would take them.

They have coverage, yet no one would cover them. How ironic!

On a personal note, I opted to use the plan offered by my employer. It isn't as good as the original one I had, but it is sufficient coverage. It is a few hundred dollars more expensive though. And guess what? Not too many dentists take my dental coverage, as I recently learned.

This is my personal opinion based on what I've read and have personally learned from people I know.

For something which is supposed to help about 15 million Americans who don't have healthcare coverage, it has certainly affected everyone else who were already happy with their plans.

Now that it is in effect, we certainly have seen the effects of what's in it.

One thing for sure, it isn't as great as what Nancy Pelosi advertised it to be.

What do you think? How has it impacted your own healthcare plan?