alternatehistory.com

There's an argument that the drafting and early implementation of the Affordable Care Act delayed the recovery. Employers weren't sure about what would be required in plans going forward and thus were less willing to hire people full-time because of this uncertainty.

What if the ACA had been more modest in its goals and provided more certainty to employers during the recovery? Perhaps a combination of
1) Medicaid Expansion
2) Individual Mandate + Middle Class subsidies up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Line
3) Employers being offered a tax credit for covering employees, rather than mandated to have plans they aren't sure what will cost
4) Young people being able to stay on their parents' plans until age 26
5) A few additional requirements for health insurance plans (contraception must be covered, etc).
6) A medicare buy-in for those at age 55


Could a more modest ACA have resulted in stronger job growth, more business support (due to the lack of employer mandate), some moderate GOP support (Bennett, Collins, Snowe, etc), and less or no Tea Party backlash?
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