Round Table Essay

Elijah Geniesse

Professor Connie Douglas

UWRT 1102

March 28th, 2017

What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on America?

When it comes to United States health care it seems that everyone has a contribution to

the debate. While the implementation of the Affordable Care Act was created in an attempt to

establish a more uniform health insurance policy, it has seemed to affect everyone differently.

Though there are many different voices in this debate, there are a few major ones that stick out

more than others. Beginning with American businesses, the introduction of Obamacare cause

many complications for big and small businesses alike. While the effects are different for both

parties, each still went through major change after the new legislation. Next, we will look at how

the introduction of the Affordable Care Act impacted society. Focusing on each specific social

class will help increase understanding of the way in which each citizen has been affected. Lastly,

the American government has experienced drastic change from the introduction of Obamacare.

From local governments to federal, the Department of Health and Human Services had to create

new policies and generate legislation that complies with the new act. Each voice provides a

different viewpoint upon how the Affordable Care Act has affected them. The impact this act has

on each group ties into the overall successfulness of the Obamacare legislation.
 The United States was once viewed as the land of oppourtunity, though businesses in

America experienced some of the most change from the Affordable Care Act. After the

reformation of the act in 2013, all businesses were required to offer health insurance to their

employees or pay a fee to the government. For small businesses this became a pressing issue.

Insurance premiums were set at steep prices by the federal government which made it difficult

for many businesses to provide insurance to their employees. Companies who were not able to

afford thes prices were left with the option of paying an opt-out fee to the government. In many

cases, this price was still too high for struggling small business owners. This left many

companies in a position where they either had to compress or close altogether. Although the

introduction of the Affordable Care Act entailed much compensation for small business owners it

still comes with a heavy financial toll. In one article, the author describes how the introduction of

Obamacare provides a difficult situation for American employers (Phillips. Obamacare

squeezes small businesses www.usatoday.com). He goes on to explain how small business make

up the majority of employers in the United States. The high cost of insurance premiums seem to

discourage entrepreneurship and small business ventures, part of what our Nation was built upon.

Along with this, big businesses were also required to offer insurance policies for their

employees. The main difference was that most had the funding available to cover this. Though it

still presented a financial toll on these companies, they were able to adapt to it better. These large

corporations had the resources and funding that allowed them to cover new costs introduced by

the Affordable Care Act. Similar to small businesses, large companies were required to offer

health insurance for their employees. The main difference was that these corporations didt

receive the same compensation as small businesses did. This financial burden caused many large
businesses to reform their insurance policies and oftentimes downsize. Overall the Affordable

Care Act seems to discourage American business ventures in an attempt to standardize health

insurance policies. Though businesses receive compensation and aid from the government, the

implementation of the Affordable Care Act has proven harmful to the growth of each business

creating higher unemployment and lower employee pay.

The most evident goal of the Affordable Care Act was to reach a point where some form

of health insurance covers every American citizen. While this legislation is more than effective in

working towards this goal, it impacts the life of each member of society. Beginning with the

lower-class, Obamacare strives to ensure that each citizen receives health insurance. This means

that insurance programs are much more affordable and in certain circumstances struggling

citizens can have their health insurance covered by state-level governments. These individuals

will receive food stamps and coverage for health care needs.

Low-income individuals seem to gain the most from the Affordable Care Act though all

the aid from the government must be funded somewhere. This is where the rest of society comes

into play. Many middle-class individuals were already covered by health insurance so the most

evident effect of Obamacare for these individuals is an increase in taxes. Those who were not

covered under their employers will now receive health insurance options under occupational

policies. While most middle-class citizens were affected differently by Obamacare, this was not

the case for upper-class individuals. The majority of these people are businessmen and

entrepreneurs so the Affordable Care Act has a heavy impact on their lives from an occupational

aspect. On top of this, due to the rise in taxes upper-class citizens were affected more than
anyone else. The impact Obamacare made on individuals lives seemed to directly correlate to

their financial standing in society. One employee of a very small business firm describes this

impact by stating that, Your options are to give up your business, take your chances that you

wont get sick, or get married and get on somebody elses policy. (Laura Packard, PowerThru)

This statement goes to show how the Affordable Care Act limits citizens options when it comes

to healthcare policies.

Although the Affordable Care Act made an impact on everyone, no one experienced as

much change as the American government did. While the federal government imposed the

legislation, it caused major reform in their policies. Not only was a new piece of legislation

created and passed, but according to Grace-Marie Turner, from Forbes, the law has experienced

70 changes since being introduced in 2010. (Turner. 70 Changes That Make Obamacare A Very

Different Law Than Congress Passed www.forbes.com) This article details how legislators have

expanded the act and altered it since it was initially introduced. After the law was passed many

complications arose and the federal government realized that changes needed to be made

somewhere for this legislation to be effective in any manner.

Along with this, the introduction of Obamacare created another relationship between state

and federal governments. Once the federal government enforced the Affordable Care Act, they

relied on the state governments to carry it out.This included providing aid to citizens and

business and maintainging programs that provide support to citizens who need it. State and local

governments gained more control over business to employee relations and transitional programs
for American businesses. Also, more federal jobs have been created due to a need for increased

legislation, more departments, and expansion of American healthcare.

In conclusion, the Affordable Care Act imposed many changes for America as a nation. It

has had an impact on every citizen whether negative or positive. In each case, there are pros and

cons, along with any controversial topic. Although the act has affected every group differently it

seems as though these impacts always manage to tie together. Where funding is generated from

increased taxes to middle and upper class individuals, government aid improved in healthcare

plans for retirees and lower income citizens. This money is also used to help small businesses

and local governments create programs that help citizens who need it. These small businesses

struggle from the restricted choices theyre givem when it comes to insurance policies, though

they receive compensation from the government and aid through transitional programs. All of

these things are organized by federal legislators then carried out through state and local

governments. Each citizen has been impacted in this attempt to reach a standardized form of

healthcare for the entire nation.

Sources:

Phillips, Tim. "Obamacare squeezes small businesses: Column." USA Today. Gannett

Satellite Information Network, 01 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Court, Emma. "Entrepreneurs and small businesses on why they hate - and love -

Obamacare." MarketWatch. N.p., 29 Nov. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Turner, Grace-Marie. "70 Changes That Make Obamacare A Very Different Law Than

Congress Passed." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.