# Politically, was the ACA individual mandate really worth it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politically-was-the-aca-individual-mandate-really-worth-it/724103>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 3, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politically-was-the-aca-individual-mandate-really-worth-it/724103 "2015-07-03T02:12:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 7

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**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politically-was-the-aca-individual-mandate-really-worth-it/724103/7 "2015-07-03T07:56:44Z")

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> [@Why isn't 56K just that?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-56k-just-that/6119/3):
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> Except that most people seem to be paying more for insurance and getting less coverage. I wish the ACA worked but calling it “affordable” is kind of Ironic.

[Key Study On Obamacare 2015 Premium Rates Is Out And You Won’t Believe What’s Going To Happen](http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2014/10/31/key-study-on-obamacare-2015-premium-rates-is-out-and-you-wont-believe-whats-going-to-happen/)

> [@](#):
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> While 65 percent of existing policies will see an increase in premium costs for 2015, the median increase will be _just 4 percent._
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> When was the last time we saw insurance premiums experience an annual increase of less than 5 percent? I cannot remember such a time and doubt that you can either.

[Survey: Most Republicans Who Bought Obamacare Coverage Like Their Plans](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/republicans-like-obamacare-commonwealth-fund)

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> About three-quarters of Republicans who obtained health insurance under Obamacare are satisfied with their coverage, according to a survey published Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund.
> 
> The survey found that 74 percent of Republicans said they were very or somewhat satisfied with their new coverage. Overall, 78 percent of Americans said they were satisfied: 73 percent of those enrolled in a private plan and 84 percent of those enrolled in Medicaid.

[http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/14/republicans-devastated-poll-finds-americans-love-obamacare.html](http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/14/republicans-devastated-poll-finds-americans-love-obamacare.html)]Republicans Devastated As Poll Finds That Americans Love Their Obamacare

> [@](#):
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> The Gallup poll found that the newly insured who bought coverage through the ACA were more satisfied with their health insurance than the overall insured population. Seventy-five percent of the newly insured were satisfied with the cost of their coverage compared to 61% of total insured population. Sixty-eight percent of the newly insured plan on renewing their current policy, 7% will get a different policy on the exchange, 15% will get a different policy from somewhere else, and 2% plan on having no health insurance.

I don’t know anyone who would be happy, let alone Republicans, if they were paying more and getting less coverage. And there sure are a lot of very happy people in these polls, including Republicans.

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