That's fine. I have been bothered on the ACA ever since its first vote and passed utilizing the whip, bribes, threats etc. and those were used by the Democrats on their own members of congress. Without knowing anything about the ACA, what it consists of that turned me against it. Of course listening to Pelosi, she and all other Democrats didn't know what was in it either as she said, "You have to pass it first to know what's in it." Something like that.
Before I came to DP I was on Politico, there I said so many times that the ACA wasn't passed on its merits, it was passed via threats and bribes and that convinced me it was all about political agenda. I have been quoted, ask Nimby, he was known as Linc on Politico, as saying I didn't care if the ACA turned out to be the best since sex and peanut butter. I will continue to be adamantly opposed to it because of the way it was passed. With the whip and not on merit.
Medicaid, with all the new additions it may become a worthless piece of paper. Nationwide only around 60% of all doctors today accept medicaid and in places like New Jersey only 40%. There have been many doctor offices in my area that have put up signs, "No new Medicaid Patients Accepted." The problem, the very low reimbursement rate of the approved costs. Doctors lose money on each patient. So putting more people on medicaid could end up being no more than a feel good move by those who made the move and end up not helping the over all situation much at all.
But you are right, I equate medicaid and the ACA was two separate things. For me one has nothing to do with the other. Medicaid can be fixed to made to work for those who are on it if the reimbursement rate is raised to acceptable levels where doctors do not lose money in accepting more medicaid patients. The ACA is an exercise in political agenda forced upon the American people when the majority of Americans did not want it. The Democrats knew this back in 2009 and 2010 and ignored the will of the people. For over 4 years we have been told to just give the ACA time, the people will come to like it. But today the numbers for and against are roughly the same as when it was first passed.
Sangha has told me to get over how it was passed, sorry I can't do that. For me the ACA will always represent the use of raw political power to pass something a political party wanted passed against the wishes of the people. The Democrats passed it because they could, they passed it because it was their political agenda, not because the people wanted it. Medicare the people wanted, polls showed well over 60% of Americans were in favor of Medicare before it even was brought up in congress. The ACA, only 35% of the American people wanted it and that is close to the percentage of today that is in favor of it. See the difference, one had the back of the people, the other told the people to stick it where the sun don't shine. I will always be against it. Not for what in it, I don't care about the mandates and I believe if medicaid is fixed, I am in total support of upping the reimbursement rate. But I just can't stomach the ACA. Such is life.