The First Post - The basics of Obamacare

The Patient Protection and Affordable care act, known as Obamacare by its supporters and detractors, is the most significant overhaul of the American healthcare system since Medicare and Medicaid. For 45 years the regulations of our countries healthcare system have remained relatively untouched, and now a massive overhaul is taking place.
            Obamacare has faced many hurdles while being actualized, culminating in its role as the cornerstone of Republican refusal to sign a national budget into law, causing a partial government shutdown for sixteen days. This shutdown cost us $24 billion, and reduced our projected fourth-quarter GDP growth from 3 percent to a piddling 2.4 percent. To be worth that much to half of senators, Obamacare must seem to be a dire manifestation. I am forced to wonder, to what extent will the Affordable Care Act benefit the American people?
            Guaranteed issue and community rating are a big part of the act to me, it seems right that someone can’t be denied coverage due to a preexisting condition, and that every one of the same age and area pay the same price. Life isn't fair, but insurance can rectify that to an extent with these simple requirements. Tobacco use is excluded from protected preexisting conditions, I suppose that’s thought of as fair because information on the dangers of tobacco use is widespread and easily available, and using is a choice.
            Another big part of the act is the individual mandate, which requires individuals not covered by an employer sponsored health plan, Medicaid, Medicare or other public insurance programs to acquire health insurance or pay a penalty. Certain exemptions exist for those facing financial hardship or members of a recognized religious sect exempted by the Internal Revenue Service. Requiring citizens to have health insurance seems like a huge step, though I’m not sure if it’s forward or backward. Citizens should have the right to live as they like as long as they aren't affecting someone else’s right to do the same. People living without insurance are likely to pay more for medical care, and are likely to put off or forgo medical care as a result. If an uninsured person does receive substantial medical care, it seems likely they would be unable to pay, because the less a household makes the more likely they are to be uninsured. Medical debts contribute to almost half of all bankruptcies in the United States. Why are we forcing people to get health insurance when it is common knowledge that it is a huge asset? Would providing access to cheaper insurance rectify the problem of uninsuredness on its own? The act already provides subsidies for insurance for low-income households, why bother requiring almost everyone to have it?