Blog Stage Three: Three Legs Good, No Legs Bad

In the article Three Legs Good, No Legs Bad, by Paul Krugman, he addresses the reasons why the United States needs the Affordable Care Act (A.C.A). He refers to the A.C.A. as a three-legged stool.  One “leg of the stool” is requiring insurers to make health care available to everyone, including those with pre-excising conditions. The second “leg” is the mandate that everyone has insurance; this prevents a person from waiting to sign up once they become sick. The final “leg of the stool” is subsidies that limit the cost for those with low incomes. He claims that all three “legs” are needed in order for the A.C.A. to work properly. Krugman states, “as written (and interpreted by the Supreme Court), the law’s functioning depends a lot on cooperation from state governments.” Meaning the A.C.A is operated by the states and works where the states want it to work. He states that Republicans ideas require “sawing off one or more legs of that three-legged stool.” The Republicans want to get rid of the mandate, slash subsidies in order to cut taxes for the wealthy, and offer insurance plans with minimal coverage and high deductibles.

I agree with his claims, however, there are some flaws with the A.C.A. that Krugman is overlooking. For example, it limits you to very few doctors who actually accept it. Also, there are people who make barely too much to get subsidies and are stuck with an insurance bill and high deductibles that are unaffordable for them. If I could choose what health care system the United States should adopt, I would say Medicare for all. When someone obtains employment, taxes will be taken out of their paychecks and in return the person get efficient healthcare. Because the members of this healthcare group would be so diverse, high premiums and pre-existing conditions wouldn’t be a problem anymore. In addition, people wouldn’t have to stay with an employer for the purpose of retaining health care. Krugman’s intended audience is the citizens of the United States, specifically those against the A.C.A. His aim is to persuade the audience that the A.C.A. is a well-thought-out-law. Krugman’s article has decent, reliable sources including, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Paul Krugman won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on international trade theory in 2008. He received his B.A. from Yale University in 1974 and his Ph.D. from M.I.T. in 1977. He has also written or edited 27 books and more than 200 papers in professional journals and edited volumes.