Is the Affordable Care Act all it’s cracked up to be?

So far the Affordable Care Act seems to be doing its job. But there is more to examine in the details. The New York Times has broken down the main issues involved and taken a point to highlight what is and isn’t working.

A perfect measurement of the numbers of people affected by the law is still difficult, but a series of private sector surveys and a government report reach the same basic estimates: The number of Americans without health insurance has been reduced by about 25 percent this year — or eight million to 11 million people.

Here are some key points to take into account:

• 1Has the percentage of uninsured people been reduced? Yes, the number of uninsured has fallen significantly.
• 2Has insurance under the law been affordable? For many, yes, but not for all.
• 3Did the Affordable Care Act improve health outcomes? Data remains sparse except for one group, the young.
• 4Will the online exchanges work better this year than last? Most experts expect they will, but they will be tested by new challenges.
• 5Has the health care industry been helped or hurt by the law? The law mostly helped, by providing new paying patients and insurance customers.
• 6How has the expansion of Medicaid fared? Twenty-three states have opposed expansion, though several of them are reconsidering.
• 7Has the law contributed to a slowdown in health care spending? Perhaps, but mainly around the edges.

[Image from flickr user State Democrats]