Supporters of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare, made bold claims about the program’s potential to improve American health care costs and accessibility, but 13 years later, the ACA has fallen short on many of those promises.
President Joe Biden celebrated the ACA’s anniversary Thursday with a White House speech touting the program as an “extraordinary achievement.” While more Americans are insured now than prior to the bill’s passage, many of them are insured through Medicaid, and the program doesn’t appear to have made a major dent in mortality. (RELATED: Millions Of People Are About To Get Kicked Off Medicaid. Here’s Why)
Former President Barack Obama promised in 2008 that the ACA would reduce the typical family’s health insurance premiums by $2,500 annually. From 2013 to 2019, however, the average monthly premium more than doubled from $244 per month to $558, according to the Heritage Foundation.
A family of four enrolling in a non-subsidized ACA plan can expect to pay $25,000 annually in premiums and deductibles before receiving any benefits.
