Obamacare US Healthcare Benefits for the Last 5 Years

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It has been five years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, was signed. At the beginning, there were many negative predictions about the law but it seems to have proven these wrong. 

South Florida Business Journal reports that Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) recently held a roundtable to commemorate the law. She shares her observations on the growth of Obamacare stating that, "What's important to note five years later, since the ACA became law is that all of the dire predictions that were made by opponents have not only not come true but have simply been exploded." 

According to the National Journal, some senators predicted that Obamacare would mean the end for Medicare. In 2010, Sen. Lindsey Graham shared her stand on the law in a debate with Schumer on "Meet the Press."  

Sen. Graham said, "The legacy of Medicare is going to be devastating. If you're a senior citizen in South Carolina and New York, you're going to lose your Medicare Advantage." 

After five years, it seems that Sen. Graham's prediction was wrong. The National Journal states that Kaiser Family Foundation actually found that Medicare Advantage increased by more than 40 percent since Obamacare was passed.  

However, insurers said that there will be further cuts to Medicare Advantage which would force insurers to reduce benefits and increase premiums. Therefore, Sen. Graham may have had a point. 

It was predicted that Obamacare would not even last this long, reports the National Journal. It is now five years later and Obamacare is not just alive, but seemingly surviving. According to CNN Money, around 11.7 million people signed up for the Obamacare exchange this year.  

CNN also states, "The growth of health care spending has slowed to record lows." Meanwhile, Medicaid has increased enrollment by 20 percent, reaching 70 million.   

Pamela Roshell, Ph.D., the director of Florida's Department of Health and Human Services, states that part of the law's success in the state was its affordability.  

Referring to the enrollment rate in the state of Florida, Dr. Roshell says, "Affordability played a big role in the rate of enrollment we saw this year." She adds, "One of the biggest benefits of the health care insurance marketplace is the ability to choose the right plan for the right person. Among Floridians with a marketplace plan, 93 percent could select a plan for $100 or less per month."