By Lucy Hurlbut ‘14

What exactly is Obamacare?

Obamacare, officially known as The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), is not a health insurance plan but a health care reform that aims to provide more Americans with access to affordable, quality health care. Americans have the opportunity to get health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. This allows people to sign up for an affordable private health plan if they choose to do so. The ACA was signed into law March 23, 2010, and many changes took effect immediately, such as allowing young people to stay on their parents’ insurance plan longer. Other changes, like the opening of the marketplace, started on October 1 of this year. President Obama may have signed the ACA into law, but it is actually the result of ideas from both political parties. The idea first appeared through the Heritage Foundation, a Republican group. The ACA was modeled after a Massachusetts health care insurance reform implemented by former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

2. Are you required to use the Health Insurance Marketplace?

The marketplace is for uninsured Americans and those who would like to change their current plan. Individuals earning up to $45,000 will receive tax subsidies to help them buy health insurance — including nine million young people. Although Republicans contend that Obamacare will raise the cost of insurance, a report by the state of California found that the subsidies provided by the law actually lower premiums by up to 83 percent.

3. What do Republicans not like about Obamacare?

The majority of elected Republicans at both state and federal levels disapprove of the individual mandate because it requires that most people have health insurance or else pay a penalty in the form of a tax. Republicans would like to push the individual mandate back to 2015, but for now it will go into effect for anyone who has not applied for health insurance by March 31, 2014. Republicans also do not like the employer mandate, which takes effect 2015. This mandate requires businesses with more than 50 employees to provide health insurance to their employees. However, 96 percent of businesses have fewer than 50 employees, and 90 percent of those above this threshold already provide health insurance, so only a small percentage of businesses are affected. Democrats acknowledge that Obamacare is not perfect and that some provisions may need to be delayed or altered.

4. Will you be able to keep your doctor and your health plan?

The ACA can’t guarantee that everyone will be able to stay with his or her doctor, or that the health insurance provided by a new job will be connected to the same doctor. This was the case even before Obamacare. The law doesn’t create a government-run system. What it does do is greatly expand business for private insurance by about 12 million new customers, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

5. What will you get out of all this?

Young people’s enrollment is key to keeping the cost of insurance coverage down for everyone. People can no longer be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition such as HIV/AIDS. Insurance companies can no longer set lifetime limits for coverage or deny coverage because medical expenses exceed an arbitrary limit. Insurers can no longer charge women more for the same care that’s offered to men. It also expands Medicaid (a federal-state program that serves low-income people of all ages) to include childless adults. In fact, the Washington Post reported that if every state expanded Medicaid the way the ACA intended, 8 million young people would gain coverage.