Access to Care and the Affordable Care Act: Why Do Problems Exist 15 Years Later?

The affordability of health care will be the top issue in the upcoming midterm elections. However, the discussion about health care affordability began more than 15 years ago with the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was dubbed Obamacare. Under the ACA, every American was to have health insurance and access to care. Citing PolitiFact, Mark Memmott of National Public Radio in December 2013 reported that President Barack Obama told the "lie of the year," publicly claiming more than 35 times that "if you like your health care plan, you can keep it." The ACA was also supposed to allow patients to "keep their doctor" and save each family of 4 about $2500 per year, which never occurred.