# To what extent will the Affordable Care Act be a factor in this race?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-will-the-affordable-care-act-be-a-factor-in-this-race/635614>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [September 23, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-will-the-affordable-care-act-be-a-factor-in-this-race/635614 "2012-09-23T18:51:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-will-the-affordable-care-act-be-a-factor-in-this-race/635614/21 "2012-09-24T22:54:06Z")

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> [@adaher](#):
>
> Are those 6 million people actually wealthy enough to afford health insurance?

If a policy costs more than 8% of their income, then they are not subject to the penalty. For $100k in income, that is not being able to find a policy for $8k or less. For $200k in income, that is not being able to find a policy for $16k or less.

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**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-will-the-affordable-care-act-be-a-factor-in-this-race/635614/22 "2012-09-24T23:51:15Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> So, yup… those ER visits are practically ‘free’ for a tax dodger like Romney… no so much the rest of us who live in and are invested in the US.

never thought of it like that but it’s true! :mad:

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**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-will-the-affordable-care-act-be-a-factor-in-this-race/635614/23 "2012-09-25T00:15:00Z")

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> [@Untoward\_Parable](#):
>
> Well if the speech at the AARP is any inclination it’s going to depress Rodney’s old white conservative guy advantage with seniors. (when Paul Ryan talked about repealing it and how bad it was they boo’d him)

I’m pissed about this. It is the first good reason I’ve seen to join AARP. A group who boos Ryan is a group worth joining.

Still there are substantially more people insured today than a few years ago, mostly under 26 covered by the new rule. And ACA has passed, and is slowly going into effect, and the world has not come to an end as predicted. Sure most of the provisions have not started yet, but the Republicans seemed to be predicted shorter term doom. So it seems like a nonevent to most.

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