I had occasion to visit an urgent care clinic. Right after me, a family came in... an elderly woman, and 2 middle-aged women. One of the middle-aged women was the identified patient.
I overheard them talking loudly in the waiting room. The younger women were trying to talk the older women into being seen as well. She agreed that she "needed" a doctor, but she "fell through the cracks". She made too much money for Medicaid, Obamacare had cut her hours, she couldn't afford "Obamacare" because she still had her teeth - and they usually assume that at her age, people have lost their teeth. (Huh???) She was not even talking about dental care!
I live in a state which did not sign up for Obmacare, but they still have access to the federal exchange. Although I am not eligible since I am covered under a different federal program, putting in my household income as if it were money from a job gave us several plans, all of the silver and bronze plans were under $40/month, and we were qualified for a subsidy. And, we're not the poorest people out there.
Dental plans are also available through the ACA.
What these people propsed that they do is buy one of the plans advertised on television for roughly $200 per month. Assuming that these plans are actually legal, they generally are discount plans which the fine print says "this is not insurance", that might pay for something.
I about wanted to jump up and scream, "This is NOT how it works! Look for yourself or get someone who knows how to use it and sign up for REAL insurance during the next open enrollment period." I refrained.
This is not the first time I've heard of anti-Obamacare believers running themselves to the poorhouse or denying that they can get care.
Last month, a low-income person I know, who said that he had "tried but failed" to get disability and MEDICARE previously, knew he was not "eligible" and could not afford "Obamacare" got what he'd been convinced was a life-threatening emergency. Now, he's $5000 in debt, which MAY be paid for by charity, to find that he had an ulcer - which would have been found by the lowest-cost test ordered.
Had he signed up during the open enrollment period, no doubt he would have been covered free or for a very low cost with the subsidies. Had it been overseen by a true ACA plan, they would have insisted that the lowest-cost test be done first, not the highest. Moreover, free help was available to him.
I guess $5000 is a good price to pay to maintain Obama Derangement Syndrome. Oh yeah, and the $700 fine for not signing up.
I blame the false information put out by the TWNCs, as well as the lack of information from the government. I don't know that it would have helped; I was one source of free help approved for my community. NOBODY asked me for any help during the enrollment period. Instead, I heard that "Obamacare" didn't pay for cancer. I heard it wouldn't pay for diabetes-related illnesses. I heard that it wouldn't pay for people who smoke.
There's no amount of debunking that could change minds.