It is important to note at the outset a common misconception--countries with universal health care are not restricted to having government-funded health care; rather, it is possible to have both public and private medical insurance systems

For example, a family of four, making up to $88,000 in income annually would be eligible for subsidized insurance.

despite a decades-long effort to reform the nation's health care system.

The industrialized nation historically absent from this list has always been the US

hese countries generally also have a tradition of respecting human rights.

Outside of the US, the vast majority of industrialized nations--defined, generally, as developed countries that rely on industry and produce substantial gross domestic product--offer some form of universal health care.

To the contrary, millions of Americans work for employers that do not offer any health coverage, and many cannot afford an often-costly private health care plan.

unable to afford basics such as prescription medications and annual physical exams, and almost certainly would be unable to pay for any sort of complex medical procedure or surgery.

As of 2010, approximately 15 percent of Americans lack health insurance

the health care reform bill actually will reduce the national deficit.

where approximately 15 percent of its citizens lacked health insurance.

it is provided by governments in nearly all industrialized nations

as of early 2010, the United States was the only such nation without some version of a universal health care plan

without adversely affecting the national deficit or requiring a governmental takeover of health care.

32 million American citizens lacking medical insurance

affordable and necessary health insurance

that wait times for those with Medicaid or marketplace coverage were similar to wait times for other insured adults.

If you lose your job, you can purchase a plan in the marketplace outside of the open enrollment period.

12.7 million Americans received health coverage through the marketplace.

The U.S. is currently experiencing its highest rate of insured people ever in history, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention i

fell to 10.5% from 16.6% since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act back in 2013.

you are eligible for a tax subsidy, which can drastically reduce the cost of your Obamacare premium.

you may face a tax penalty

The ACA does require all Americans to have a qualified health plan

The marketplace exists for people who do not receive health benefits through their employer, or a public program like Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children's Health Insurance Program.

ACA could reduce the deficit by $143 billion

2014, spending on health care rose more slowly. It grew 5.3 percent in 2014 and 5.8 percent in 2015. 

Between 1990 and 2008, health spending rose 7.2 percent a year.

Obamacare reduced the number of bankruptcy filings. In 2010, 1.5 million people filed. That dropped to 770,846 by 2016

Many found out their plans had a low maximum. They were responsible for any costs above that. That's one reason why health care became the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy.

Obamacare's three strategies mean more people can get treatment before they need expensive emergency room care.

The ACA lowers costs in three ways.

Drug costs could rise

10 percent of income. Before, they could deduct any expenses that exceeded 7.5 percent of income.

The ACA taxed those who didn't purchase insurance

Increased coverage

The ACA requires services that many people don't need, like maternity care. 

Insurance companies canceled many of their plans because their policies didn't cover the ACA's 10 essential benefits

It lowers the budget deficit

more than 3 million previously uninsured young people were added. This increased profit for insurance companies. They receive more premiums from these healthy individuals. 

Insurance companies can no longer deny anyone coverage for pre-existing conditions. They can't drop them or raise premiums if beneficiaries get sick.

1.2 percent for the year. That's much less than the price increase of 4 percent in 2004. 

 preventive care free. This means people receive treatment before they need expensive emergency room services

ACA is that it slows the rise of health care costs

negative messages about Obamacare outnumbered positive messages 15 to on

Rising medical costs are the result of advances in medical technology that end up benefiting Americans and the rest of the world. It would not be wise to drastically change the private health care system to a single-payer, government-managed program with the hope of reducing these costs. Instead, Americans should be open to reforms to the system proposed by both parties as valuable ways to save money on the best health care possible.

The specific proposals favored by Obama include helping small businesses afford health care coverage, requiring insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions, and providing a public health insurance option for those who are not covered by private insurance.

Millions of Americans are forced to pay for their own health insurance because they are unemployed, self-employed, or employed by small businesses that can't afford to participate in health insurance programs.

Fiscal responsibility should be a primary concern of all taxpayers

A private health care system would remain shielded from the whims of government politics.

Private health care allows for decisions to be made between a patient and a doctor with much less interference than if the government managed the system.

Such problems are just a few of the drawbacks of a government-managed health care system. Consumer-driven care, or the ability to choose health care providers and procedures that meet individual needs, is crucial to a successful program.

Health Care America documents the pitfalls of the Canadian healthcare system. On average, Canadians wait nearly eighteen weeks to receive treatment by a specialist after the initial referral, more than eight weeks for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), four weeks for computed tomography (CT) scans or ultrasounds, and four or more months for surgeries that are considered unessential, such as hip replacements. Procedures that are standard in the United States, including bypass surgery and transplants, are provided only after patients deal with numerous agencies and fill out copious amounts of paperwork. Sometimes the approval arrives too late.

Canadian single-payer health care system,

determined that 89 percent of Americans are satisfied with their health insurance coverage, and of these, over half are very or extremely satisfied. For the majority of Americans, a transformation to a government-managed health care system would be disastrous.

In 2006, $516 billion in tax funds helped pay for medical expenses for 40 million retirees and disabled citizens

When it comes to health care, clearly the United States must be doing something right.

US citizens to choose the physicians and treatment plans that meet individual needs rather than a generic government-funded program.

the country is a leader in the delivery of quality health care

Increased competitiveness within the health care industry and the implementation of government-mandated strategic changes will help Americans save money and preserve their well-being.

Premium Tax Credit Spending and Enrollment Estimates

H&E expects federal spending on premium tax credits to increase by $9.8 billion from 2016 to 2017.

$291 per month to $367.

$32.8 billion in 2016 to about $42.6 billion in 2017, a 28 percent hike

32 Million Would Lose Care

“If you’re a victim of domestic violence,” Harris said, “you can be denied access to health care because being a victim of domestic violence is considered a pre-existing condition.

more than 4 million people with average individual incomes of roughly $16,000 gained coverage.

This ranged from savings on immunizations to annual physicals for Medicare recipients.

Under ACA, coverage can’t be denied nor benefits reduced if someone has a history of heart disease, for example.

Women gained more comprehensive services for reproductive health care. This included well-woman visits, mammograms, contraceptive coverage, breast cancer tests for women at high risk, prenatal services and breastfeeding support.

the uninsured rate for young people has dropped by 47 percent.

Young people were able to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26.

The number of uninsured people declined.

he expanded the social contract for the first time in several decades,

That number could nearly double to 32 million by 2026,

If the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is even partially dismantled, 18 million people could become uninsured within a year, according to a new

projected federal spending on health care has been slashed by $200 billion in 2020, thanks largely to slower health care cost growth. That means lower deficits, more room for investment in education, roads, bridges, or lower taxes.

You’re paying less.

For example, 50,000 fewer people died as a result of preventable errors and infections in hospitals from 2010 to 2013. And Medicare is creating “star ratings” for health plans and many types of health care providers – improving performance and information for patients.

You are healthier after a hospital stay.

tackling these and other challenges and increasing the quality of health care for Americans.

Obamacare is clearly not perfect, but it opens the door for regular folks like us to obtain an affordable comprehensive health insurance plan comparable to those offered to most government and corporate employees, regardless of preexisting conditions or advancing age.

but simply because one of us got sick, and we don't happen to have a corporate or government job that provides comprehensive group health insurance coverage, we stand a good chance of losing everything.

$100,000+ annually for all those "excluded" medical expenses

The fine-print exclusions in our medical policy include doctor's visits, prescriptions, and lab work, which, according to my insurance company, also excludes diagnostic tests critical to my wife's medical care, such as monthly tests to track special blood proteins that are myeloma markers, CT scans, X-rays, MRIs, and PET scans.

The unfortunate thing about high-deductible policies like ours is that since you almost never spend enough money on medical expenses to meet the deductible, you have no idea whether or not your insurance coverage is adequate until someone gets seriously sick or severely injured. Once that occurs, you now have a "preexisting" medical condition that makes it nearly impossible to upgrade your health insurance plan, or switch insurance carriers.

o we don't stand a chance of switching insurance carriers or upgrading our policy, until that day if and when Obamacare [referring to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act] becomes a reality. For us, and many thousands of others in similar situations, Obamacare will make the difference between never-ending financial struggles, or having an affordable yet comprehensive health insurance policy along with the prospect for a decent life without fear of bill collectors and bankruptcy.

cancer is now a serious "preexisting condition,

Obamacare, is not perfect but that it would save self-employed people from medical bankruptcy.

"Having never before dealt with a serious long-term illness, we had no idea how fast those fine-print 'exclusions' could add up."

• 62 percent say the amount they pay for medical care will increase. • 47 percent think they’ll be worse off when it becomes law. • 70 percent believe the federal budget deficit will go up — contrary to repeated claims from Democrats. • 56 percent view Obamacare as creating too much government involvement in health care.

March 23, 2010: President Obama signs the Affordable Care Act into law. “We did not fear our future, we shaped it,” he says.

March 2010:

adds numerous preventive benefits to medicare with no cost-sharing

The ACA requires all plans to offer some coverage for mental health and substance abuse care, rehabilitative care such as physical therapy, as well as preventive and pediatric services, including pediatric vision and oral health care.[7]

The ACA requires plans to offer coverage for essential services

The ACA has significantly lowered these costs.[1] Almost 83%, or 10.5 million of the 12.7 million people insured through the ACA Marketplace received the law's premium subsidies from November 2015 to February 2016.[2]

States that expanded Medicaid under the ACA experienced a larger increase in coverage of the chronically ill, the investigators found. On average, Medicaid-expansion states increased coverage by 5.6 percentage points, from 82.8% with insurance before the ACA to 88.5% after the law went into effect. But even states that didn't expand Medicaid experienced an increase, rising 4.2 percentage points from 77.0% before to 81.2% after the ACA was enacted.

Millions of Americans with a chronic illness gained health insurance coverage after the Affordable Care Act went into effect in 201

Health care reform works and has already benefited millions of seniors, women, children, and young adults. If at two years the Affordable Care Act is already helping millions of Americans access quality, affordable health care, we have a lot more to look forward to.

Additionally, the Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from spending more than 20 percent of premium dollars on nonmedical expenses such as administrative costs and marketing. If insurers violate the 80/20 standard—also called the Medical Loss Ratio—they must return the money to patients through rebate checks.

For instance, it already eliminated lifetime coverage limits for 105 million Americans, ensuring those who need coverage the most cannot max out their health insurance.

$1.25 billion across the country to promote wellness, prevent disease, and protect against public health emergencies.

The fund, designed to help create the necessary infrastructure to prevent and detect disease and manage chronic conditions, creates additional primary care residency slots and increases the number of nurse practitioners trained, among other things.

departments’ joint efforts halted $4.1 billion in fraudulent claims, which is the largest sum ever recovered in a single year from individuals and companies attempting to defraud seniors and taxpayers.

saving billions for taxpayers.

The initiative aims to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions and preventable readmissions by 40 and 20 percent, respectively, by 2013.

The Affordable Care Act’s Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs

The payment models the participating organizations are piloting will allow providers to move away from a volume-based, fee-for-service payment system to one based on the quality of care provided.

provide better, more coordinated care to Medicare patients with potential savings of $1.1 billion.

16 percent lower monthly premiums since 2010.

seniors saved an average of $837 a year—and will save even more in the years ahead. The average Medicare patient will save $4,200 from 2011 to 2021 while those with higher prescription drug costs will save as much as $16,000 over the same period. Since 2010, more than 5 million seniors have saved $3.2 billion.

In the first half of 2012, more than 16 million Medicare beneficiaries received at least one preventive service at no cost to them,

Health care reform requires insurance plans to cover important preventive services, including critical immunizations, numerous health screenings, and counseling services, with no cost-sharing by women.

while controlling rapidly rising costs.

This growth has already served nearly 3 million new patients

the Affordable Care Act created the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, which includes coverage for primary and specialty care, hospital services, and prescription drugs.

Meanwhile, many Americans with a pre-existing medical condition—including asthma, heart disease, previous injuries, and cancer—would not have access to necessary, affordable care without health reform.

73 percent of young adults have insurance coverage as a result of the dependent provision, and their families benefit from this economic security, too.

Millions of Americans have benefited from the Affordable Care Act since President Barack Obama signed it into law on March 23, 2010.

6.6 million additional young adults, including more than 1.3 million minorities—many of them new college graduates—had access to coverage even if they were unable to find a job right away.

Millions of Americans have benefited from the Affordable Care Act since President Barack Obama signed it into law on March 23, 2010.

young adults to remain on their parents’ insurance until age 26