As controversial as the Affordable Care Act (ACA)<\/strong> has been over the last, well, forever, it does try to address the growing need in this country for access to affordable healthcare.<\/p>\n Regrettably, the focus ended up being on health insurance rather than the skyrocketing costs of healthcare itself. So now here we are, arguing about whether people should be forced to pay a tax for something they may not want or need to use for years.<\/p>\n However, there\u2019s still an underlying truth about healthcare in America, and it\u2019s something that seems strangely neglected in all the reporting and opining about the ACA.<\/p>\n Namely, medical costs account for one of the most, if not THE most common reasons for bankruptcy filings<\/strong> in America today. Even under the best of circumstances or the most mundane of medical costs, the price tag can be staggering. In instances of serious emergency care, those costs can be absolutely ruinous.<\/p>\n Regrettably, these ruinous costs can be racked up even if somebody has some form of insurance, because not all insurance is alike. More affordable insurance plans, for example, can carry with them deductibles that are just plain impossible for some lower and even middle class families to meet. Even though they technically carry insurance, it\u2019s insurance in name only.<\/p>\n This is one of the cited flaws of the ACA: while it mandates that all Americans must be insured\u2014and even though there are many subsidies available\u2014medical costs are still high enough that even those with insurance (which is to say EVERYONE), may not be able to meet the responsibilities of both their monthly premiums AND an eventual deductible in the event of a catastrophic injury or illness.<\/p>\n