You didn't get a public option or you didn't get single payer and now your pissed.

[limpyhobbler]

103. You are wrong in several ways.

First of all, not everybody who needs help will qualify. To determine who will get a subsidy, they are only going by the income you show on paper. Some people have much lower true disposable income than what it says on their pay stub. The government has no way to determine what people can really afford to pay when they are on the margin. Or the subsidy they receive may not be enough. If someone receives makes $40,000/year, after taxes they could bring home just over $2000/month. Subtract from that rent or mortgage, car payment/subway pass/ bus pass/ transportation. Subtract groceries and clothes to wear to work. Subtract the cost of shoes. Subtract education loan payments to banks. Occasional restaurants or movies. Subtract money they give to relatives to help the relatives pay their rent or mortgage, to keep them from being homeless. Obamacare, or ACA, does not account for any of these things when determining what someone "can afford to pay".

Most people who can afford to buy health insurance already have health insurance. The mandate is trying to get get blood out a stone by bringing more healthy people into the system and forcing them to pay (some will get subsidies, or will get Medicaid if they make less $13000/year in a state that opts in).

The new law will help many people but some people could get screwed.

Second, in your previous post, you said something about states refusing to expand Medicare. Do you know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid? There is an issue with states that decide not to participate in the Medicaid expansion for all people under 133% of federal poverty. People who would have been helped by this but live in states that don't participate will get screwed because they are forced to pay for health insurance they can not afford, where previously they could have chosen not to purchase it. Or they can pay the tax/penalty and still not have insurance.

You should read up on what the law actually does if you are planning to defend every single thing about it.

What is the Medicare expansion you refer to?