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Even after the Supreme Court's decision in June to uphold core insurance provisions of the Affordable Care Act as constitutional, there has been no letup in the debate. Disagreement can be heard pretty much everywhere—on Capitol Hill, around the dinner table, across the blogosphere, and in the constant cycle of chatter on TV and radio.
This fiery debate has produced a tremendous amount of heat but not much light. There's still strong disagreement about what the law does—and what it doesn't do.
As a consumer organization, we've long believed that all people in the U.S. deserve better, more reliable, more affordable health care. On balance, we believe that the law delivers some real benefits for consumers. Young adults can now stay on their parents' insurance, and seniors can better afford the prescription drugs they need. As the law is phased in, Americans with pre-existing medical conditions will no longer be denied health insurance.
We've heard from a lot of people who are upset that they might be forced to buy coverage they can't afford. The fact is that people who can afford to buy insurance but fail to are the only ones who will pay a fine. There will be help to defray the cost of insurance through tax credits; the lower a person's income, the larger the credit.
The Affordable Care Act makes the health-insurance system work for consumers, not the other way around. Since the law was passed in 2010, Consumers Union has been updating people on the changes and how to make the law work for them. We'll continue to do that. We'll also keep checking in with families with health-care challenges, including no insurance or inadequate insurance; small-business owners who wrestle with the cost of care; physicians who work in the system every day; and others, to see how they're faring.
The day the Supreme Court announced its ruling, we got in touch with a few of the people we've spoken to over the years as the health-care law was being developed. Here are their reactions as they look forward to the law being fully implemented:
"I believe that once the political rhetoric fades away and Americans have the opportunity to fully realize the benefits, people will recognize that the health-reform law was a huge and necessary step forward."—Amanda Buchanan, Weiser, Idaho, whose husband's job as a teacher does not offer an affordable group policy to cover the family. The couple buy private insurance for their two children; Amanda has been uninsured for the past three years.
"Small-business owners will have the potential to choose high-quality workers that were previously afraid to change jobs. As a small-business owner I am thrilled about the Supreme Court ruling."—Ed Morris, owner of a fitness center in Franklin, N.C., whose double-digit health-insurance rate increases prevented him from getting adequate coverage for his employees.
"I can't afford to keep putting myself into debt, which I still have from getting and treating my cancer. For me, the Affordable Care Act signifies hope."—Cindy Gomez-Schempp, Moorhead, Minn., who has no insurance and has not been able to afford the tests needed to monitor her thyroid cancer.
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