THE UNINSURED
PREMISE: The President’s health law was supposed to lead to all Americans having health insurance.
HOW IT’S WORKING: Before the ACA became law, 14.6% of Americans lacked health insurance. According to Gallup, 11% of Americans still don't have insurance in spite of the government spending more than one trillion taxpayer dollars on health care each year.
- The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 27 million people will still be uninsured, even years after the law is fully implemented. (CBO estimates)
- About one third of 33-36 million uninsured people who gain coverage under the health law will gain coverage by being added to the already-strapped Medicaid program. (CBO estimates)
- One of the ways that the health law encourages people to purchase insurance is by fining those who fail to obtain insurance. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 11 million Americans will be subject to – and 6 million Americans will pay – a fine for being uninsured. In total, Americans will pay about $8 billion in fines per year for 2017 and the years that follow. (Congressional Budget Office)
- The chief economist for the Wall Street Journal predicted that about 75 percent of the people who end up paying this fine will be from households that earn less than $120,000 annually. (Youtube Video)
- While the fine is supposed to encourage people to obtain insurance, analysts note that even when the fine is fully phased in, it will be only $695 a year (or 2.5% of your income), far below the cost of insurance, which had led many Americans to opt to remain uninsured. (FactCheck.org)
