So, we have the ACA in Massachusetts. Its why we're calling Obamacare a republican idea - because our republican governor gave it to us.

Our healthcare in MA has one major problem, and its cost-caps. Its something that needs to be addressed. But the healthcare in the state is private, and its well received.

How is setting up appointments to be seen? Is it a lengthy process? It seems like that would be an issue as well. With more people being able to be seen, there will be a limited amount of healthcare professionals to be seen.

Well, I have private health insurance through my employer so for me nothings changed. You just get hit with $6k in taxes if you don't have coverage.

For the most part, people seeing healthcare providers will reduce long term problems because things are nipped in the bud when it isn't costly, not allowed to fester when it becomes costly.

Secondly, Massachusetts is a fairly health-conscious state. People try to eat local and organic which would go along way toward ending medical problems. People don't really smoke here like the do in the South or abroad, and its a fairly active state. So what happens here won't necessarily work else where.

Third, people aren't Government-phobic here, and we've got a vigorous and active electorate that's well educated and suspicious. We're mid-pack in taxes and top ranked in health, education, and quality of life.

As gunnels mentioned earlier, the PPACA is slightly different here. If you have under 80k per year then you'll get covered and won't have to pay that extra in taxes for not having it.

The first year you either pay 95 dollars or 1% of your income. Whichever is the higher one and it increases each year that you decide to go without healthcare.

I think its 80k for a family of four. It couldn't possibly be 80k a person, the national average is something like 35k.

New Zealand is lucky to have free public health care but I get the feeling it will change eventually! I certainly think American's deserve affordable health care through insurance. I'm not really an expert on it but I'm interested in this discussion.

Does the government cover dental and vision care there? Here they don't cover vision if you're over 16 and they don't cover dental at all. Although your vision care will be covered if you have a pre existing condition like I do. Otherwise you either have to pay for dental and vision out of pocket or get insured. Most employers offer insurance.

Nope, dental isn't covered. I haven't had my teeth checked in 3 years! I keep forgetting and it is expensive for the first visit as they take x-rays etc. Not many employers cover employees over here but it does happen. It's mainly for financial and insurance companies who provide it!

Here is some information in a nutshell of the pros and cons. I'm still looking what negative effects that will be occuring. I don't think the negative effects that republicans are afraid of are going to be a big deal but they won't fully know until the Act is put into practice next year. They can do all the analysis they want ahead of time but that's not a good enough indicator of how it will play out.

PROS

- Increased coverage.Thirty-two million Americans who would not have been covered by health insurance either now have coverage or will get the coverage they need starting in 2014. This includes:
3.1 million Americans ages 19 through 25 who may be added to their parents’ plans. Many of these youth are working but still cannot afford to pay for health benefits.
Patients with pre-existing conditions who will no longer be able to be denied coverage by insurance companies. Plus, insurance companies will no longer be able to drop plan members once they get sick.
In general, people who can't afford health insurance. The Federal government will pay states to add this group to the state’s Medicaid program.

- Reduced healthcare costs. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the cost of healthcare could be reduced. Since the Act makes sure 95 percent of citizens have health insurance, preventative healthcare will be more accessible. The newly insured will no longer have to wait until their ailments become so extreme that they are forced to visit the hospital emergency room, a more costly care avenue.

- Reduced budget gaps. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the PPACA will reduce the national budget deficit by $143 billion by 2019 because of the Act’s associated taxes and fees. In addition, the CBO believes that the Medicare "donut hole" gap in coverage will be eliminated by 2020.

- Higher taxes, lower deductions. Americans who don't pay for insurance and don't qualify for Medicaid will be assessed a tax of $95 (or 1 percent of income, whichever is higher) in 2014. The tax will increase substantially to $325 (or 2 percent of income) in 2015, and $695 (or 2.5 percent of income) in 2016. Individuals with annual incomes above $200,000 and couples with incomes above $250,000 will pay higher taxes to help cover costs of the program. And, in 2014, families can only deduct medical expenses that exceed 10 percent of income, rather than today’s 7.5 percent of income.



- Shortage of healthcare professionals. A new study by the National Monitor predicts that the implementation of the PPACA, coupled with the nation’s aging population, could lead to a shortage of 52,000 primary care physicians by 2025. This could leave millions of Americans without access to healthcare. The study also noted that office visits to primary care physicians will likely increase from 462 million to 565 million by 2025, further straining the system.

- Higher drug costs. Pharmaceutical companies will pay an extra $84.8 billion in fees over the next ten years to pay for closing the "donut hole" in Medicare. This could raise drug costs if they pass these fees on to consumers.

Source

From my perspective as someone who has spent some time in the insurance industry and who is currently involved in a business startup here in the U.S., ObamaCare is going to be hell for any business with more than a handful of employees. Mandating healthcare and forcing businesses to provide it for full-time employees = fewer people getting hired and full-time employees getting their hours cut so that X business can avoid the mandate completely.

From what I can tell, we're already starting to see a reaction from all kinds of industries: it stands to reason that we'll be hearing more and more of people getting their hours cut at whatever medium or large business they happen to be working for. :/