A lot of people have mentioned in comments, or via email, that their Facebook, inbox, personal life is blowing up over the Affordable Care Act. One of the things I'm seeing and hearing a lot is this complaint that the middle class is "footing the bill" for the ACA, as if it's an unreasonable burden.
Well, here's a response to that nonsense, should you need it: The very wealthy can afford private insurance; the very poor qualify for federal and state healthcare programs. The Affordable Care Act is for members of the working and middle classes who fall into the gap—not poor enough to qualify for state aid, not rich enough to pay out-of-pocket.
(And even with the ACA, there are still millions of people who won't be covered in any way.)
The ACA is not perfect by any means (see above), but it's wrong to suggest that Obama is exploiting the middle class: This is an opportunity for the working/middle classes to invest in themselves and minimize individual risk (of bankruptcy, foreclosure, death) that they didn't have before. They're not "footing the bill" to pay for, well, whatever people making this complaint think that they're paying for.
Naturally, I wish we were in the process of raising taxes on corporations and the very wealthy to pay for universal healthcare, but we're not. Instead, what the working/middle classes have been given is a means to take care of one another.
That's only "footing the bill" if you truly don't give a fuck about helping your neighbor. Or, potentially, yourself.
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