Final answer:
Strong reactions to US healthcare costs and coverage, especially regarding the Affordable Care Act, stem from rising expenses, implementation challenges, mandated insurance coverage, and dissatisfaction with health outcomes compared to spending. Despite efforts to improve affordability and reduce costs, many remain uninsured and federal spending on healthcare is projected to grow substantially.
Step-by-step explanation:
Health care coverage and personal health care expenditures in the US in 2011 have been significant concerns, triggering strong reactions from the public. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and National Health Expenditures, health care spending was increasingly outpacing inflation, indicating that health care represents a greater share of income as you age. Despite the intent of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to make healthcare insurance more affordable and reduce overall costs, these goals faced challenges such as the complexity of the law and political opposition.
The ACA, also known as Obama Care, faced various criticisms for policies such as the mandate that individuals must carry insurance or face penalties, the functioning of state exchanges, and implementation issues. Additionally, with the aging of the Baby Boom generation and projected increases in healthcare spending, there are concerns about the sustainability of programs like Medicare. In 2011, health care spending accounted for around 24% of all federal government spending, with projections showing that Medicare could grow from consuming 3% of GDP in 2009 to 8% by 2030.
Health outcomes in the US compared to other high-income nations have not been commensurate with the higher healthcare spending, yielding further dissatisfaction. In 2015, over 32 million people were uninsured, which was a decrease from previous years but still significant. A 2022 Kaiser Foundation poll found that 42% of likely voters viewed the ACA unfavorably, reflecting the complexity of sentiments surrounding health care reform in America.