One of the concerns about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from the very beginning was enrollment. Insurance experts contended that without a substantial number of people signing up for coverage, the ACA wouldn't be sustainable due to not having the type of capital needed to pay for premiums.
But lest there be any doubt, President Barack Obama recently indicated that the ACA is self-sustaining, even though signups will likely fall short of the 7 million goal the administration established.
In an interview with WebMD, Obama said that the over 4 million people who have enrolled will enable the health reform law to remain in place.
"Well, at this point, enough people are signing up that the Affordable Care Act is going to work," said Obama, according to The Washington Post. "The insurance companies will continue to offer plans. It will be a larger number than that by the end of March 31, the deadline to get insurance this year."
He added that what's not yet clear is how diverse the pool of people are in the various exchanges. In other words, is it mainly older people who have signed up or is there a good mix? The answer could affect the ultimate cost of premiums, the D.C.-based newspaper noted.
Meanwhile, as the health care system begins to take shape with the ACA in place, more than two-thirds of Americans are content with how the health system is working for them thus far. According to a recent survey performed by Gallup, 66 percent of respondents – some of whom had employee benefits – said that they were satisfied with the nation's health care system. Of these, nearly three-quarters had health insurance, and the rest were uninsured.
