alt Hacker News> ACA enshrined the worst parts of the American healthcare system for years to come
before the ACA, insurers could deny coverage for pre-existing conditions
people have forgotten how bad things used to be
Replies
Why is that inherently bad? Should I be able to buy fire insurance on pre-existing embers?
> people have forgotten how bad things used to be
Not really, because whereas before things were bad for people with pre-existing conditions, now they are really bad for everyone.
People are paying exorbitant prices either for insurance, for routine health care stuff, or for both.
There was no free lunch, so we traded some health care for the chronically ill, for slightly less healthcare for everyone else. The insurance companies make sure it's an extractive zero-sum game in terms of actual healthcare provided.
We traded the cruelty of Exclusion for the cruelty of Extraction.