Health care is one of the most debated issues in American politics. With the enactment of the Affordable Care Act in March 2010 and the subsequent challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court, it is important that all Americans know where they stand on the issue of health care.
There is no doubt the U.S. is in dire need of some sort of health care reform. Americans need access to affordable health care, but the ACA doesn’t use the correct means to do so. While the law has some benefits — the requirement that insurance companies cannot turn a patient away because of pre-existing conditions — much of the act negatively affects Americans with increased government spending and a law that infringes on constitutional rights.
At a time when the deficit is at $14 trillion, more government spending is not the answer. As a part of the ACA, the federal government allows states to cover more people on Medicaid, and plans to spend $5 billion to help employers cover early retirees and $250 million on expanding the primary care provider workforce, including the training of primary care physicians and nurses. The list of million- and billion-dollar programs goes on. Each year, the federal government plans to increase health care spending and ACA implementations. The government spends an estimated “$76.4 billion, or $0.3 billion above the 2012 funding level,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services for the 2013 fiscal year. This will result in a higher tax burden for the middle class, something the government should stay away from.
In addition to excess spending, the law infringes on Americans’ constitutional rights with the “individual mandate” provision. The provision requires all citizens to purchase health insurance or face a financial penalty. With the provision, the federal government exceeds its constitutionally limited commerce regulation power. The mandate is unconstitutional because Congress does not have the right to force those not engaged in the health insurance market to enter into a contract with a private company. It is vital in the protection of individual rights in the U.S. that the Supreme Court rules such a provision as unconstitutional after hearings that begin next week.
While the ACA has many controversial implications, Americans must, above all else, be aware of this continuous rise of big government. The ACA, if passed, will not only further this trend, but continue massive spending. If this law remains as is, it will forever change the system of governance in the United States.