I read an article called Obamacare Sign-ups Jump to 3.3 Million by Tami Luhby on CNN Money from February 12, 2014. In the article she talks about how originally the estimated number of people to sign up in 2014 was 7 million but that it is only projected for 6 million now because the slew of difficulties with the website. She also gives an in-depth look at who it is that has signed up for Obamacare. About a quarter of the 3.3 million is people age 18-34 which is significantly lower than the 40% which was projected by the White House. It is important that younger people sign up because they tend to be healthier and would balance out the older and sicker people who enrolled. Obama’s administration has increased its campaigning for enrollees and has geared their campaigns towards younger adults and minorities. I believe that Obamacare is a good idea because it tries to offer healthcare to those who would not be able to get elsewhere. However, I believe that it goes against our free market economy and our democratic government. Obamacare is healthcare that is run by the state. Before Obamacare, all healthcare was privatized. In a free market economy businesses should be owned privately not by the government. Obamacare is healthcare owned by the government like it would be in a socialist or command economy. The article addresses how 20% of the people signed up for the healthcare have not paid their premiums. The article also says how the majority of the people only bought the second tier insurance plan. This shows how most of the population cannot afford good healthcare. This raises questions about poverty in America. Many people are still without jobs and even those with jobs do not necessarily have healthcare. Obamacare seeks to provide everyone with a means to healthcare.
Link to Article:
http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/12/news/economy/obamacare-exchanges/index.html?iid=SF_E_LN
I am not an expert on the subject, but from what I've hear on the radio and from other people I can say that I like the concept of Obamacare. The fact that steps are being made towards healthcare coverage for all people, rich and poor, is wonderful. However, how long can we entertain this idea of a free market economy when this goes against the basic principals. Private ownership is a necessity in such a system, and I don't understand how this could be the best option for our country. This seems characteristic of a socialist or command economy, in which the government provides the healthcare. I am concerned with how the quality of healthcare be affected.
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