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How might the PPACA go against the US values of the individualism and personal responsibility?

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Final answer:

The PPACA, or Obamacare, potentially conflicts with US values of individualism and personal responsibility by involving government intervention in health insurance mandates and promoting collective responsibility for healthcare through increased taxation and preventative health measures.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare, may be perceived as going against the US values of individualism and personal responsibility due to its approach to healthcare as a collective responsibility. The ACA's mandate for individuals to have insurance or face penalties, along with the expansion of Medicaid, places a significant part of the burden of healthcare on governmental structures and communal risk pools, which can be viewed as a departure from the individualist notion that each person should be responsible for their own healthcare without government intervention or mandates.

The opponents of the PPACA suggest that the increased taxes and deficit spending needed to pay for the ACA are contrary to the principles of personal fiscal responsibility. Furthermore, preventative healthcare measures encouraged by the government or insurers may seem to encroach upon personal freedoms to make lifestyle choices, further clashing with the value of individualism.

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