gunnels

I usually stay as far away from threads like this as possible, but this is still a quality thread that doesn't deserve to be sank by trolling, so I'll give my two cents in an attempt to keep it alive.

Consistently, the biggest gripe I tend to see regarding the PPACA is the Shared Responsibility Clause (aka the individual mandate that requires all citizens to have health insurance.) I can see why this may be offputting to some, because it insinuates that it will force people who can barely afford food in the first place to buy health insurance. However, under the PPACA, any family with an annual income of under $88,000 will be entitled to free government healthcare. So, unless you are living far beyond your means, I wouldn't think that this would be an issue. I'd assume that the mandate was included as part of an effort to reduce hospital costs, which are inflated primarily because of people with no insurance coming in and being unable to pay their medical bills. So, in the end, I agree with the clause.

A neat thing that the PPACA introduces that I've found quite a few people aren't aware of are the wellness and public service programs. Thee program will initiate several health boards, such as the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which will attempt educate the general public on various health topics. Considering the American Journal of Bioethics claims that 90 million Americans do not have adequate health literacy, and seeing how health literacy is a better predictor of health than race or genetics, this should have a considerable impact on the overall wellbeing of the country.

As far as the practical economic impacts of the bill are concerned, however, I have no idea and I think that most claims at this point are just speculation.

Man, I hate posting about heavy-duty issues like this. =\

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