Some Americans have been unable to unlock the promise of affordable coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Success stories about President Barack Obama's health care law frequently rely on the personal anecdotes of Americans who say that if it weren't for Obamacare they would be broke or dead.
But critics counter that the narrative dismisses the concerns of those who haven't realized the law's promises. Many middle-class Americans who get no help from the government to pay for coverage – and who rarely use medical care – say the law has caused them financial harm and diminished their quality of life. Finding costs insurmountable, some say they are passing on coverage orusing loopholes that offer them access to medical care without crippling their finances.
As Republicans spearhead efforts to replace the law, these voices are becoming increasingly important – as is finding a way to keep them, or in some cases bring them back, into a system in which investment from the well is critical to funding the needs of the sick and the vulnerable.
"It's hard to tell people who don't see health care needs in the year ahead that they should be paying premiums and higher deductibles to make the system work for everyone else," says JoAnn Volk, a senior research professor at Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms. "But the going-in idea is that you'll need health insurance at some point."
To 42-year-old Tiffany, one of several people U.S. News spoke with whose last names are being withheld to protect their privacy, the costs of coverage to her and her husband this year were overwhelming: $1,221.20 per month, with an $11,700 deductible. If they were to divorce, they realized, they would qualify for cheaper coverage. Alternatively, Tiffany's husband, who is self-employed, would need to make an extra $20,000 a year to make up the difference once medication and doctor visits are factored in.
See story
