The Affordable Care Act was a milestone piece of legislation, but I think it's important to make sure it's not seen as the endpoint on health care reform. Obviously, nothing will get done with a GOP House and a Senate wedded to the filibuster, but there is a future legislative and political agenda on healthcare for Democrats.
The immediate aftermath of ACA led many insurance companies to soften some of their policies. For whatever reason - and I realize this is completely anecdotal - our health insurance was changed during Covid. We went from a reasonably annoying health insurance provider to an unreasonably annoying one. For the first time in a long time, I would argue that our health insurance situation has gotten worse.
Of course, it's not just anecdotal. Most health insurance companies and terrible. They do not provide health care. They seek to profit off insurance that might protect people from health care costs. Aetna and Blue Cross do not exist to provide you health care; they exist to profit off the health care industry.
Ideally, there is a time in the near future where GOP extremism gives Democrats the Presidency, the House and a majority in the Senate willing to axe the filibuster. While there are a host of reforms they might engage in - voting rights, climate change, housing policy - adding a true public option that could cover everyone - even people with insurance through work - would be the next step in getting profit out of the delivery of covering actual health care.
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