Quote Originally Posted by Suppa Hobbit Mage View Post
Well, at it's simplest explanation, the ACA will cost almost a trillion dollars over the next decade, and is paid for by 500 billion in cuts elsewhere (~40% from Medicaid and Medicare Advantage) and about 400 billion in new taxes. I'd say that's a pretty logical argument that someone will be hurt more than they are helped.
Not according to the Congressional Budget Office which states it should reduce the deficit by $210 billion. In fact they also state that defunding it would increase the deficit.

7. How much is the ACA expected to cost, and how is it funded?
The Affordable Care Act includes a number of coverage and other provisions that will require more government spending, but these costs are offset by other ACA provisions that will either bring new revenue into the government, or decrease current spending. In total, the ACA is expected to reduce budget deficits by $210 billion over 2012-2021, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimates in February 2011. This includes $1,390 billion in gross costs related to the ACA’s insurance coverage provisions, offset by $349 billion in coverage-related revenues and savings (including minimum coverage provision penalty payments), and $1,252 billion in other revenues and savings.

The Supreme Court decision may impact the cost and coverage impacts of the ACA. As of July 2012, the CBO estimates that the ACA’s coverage provisions will cost $1,168 billion over 2012-22. This is $84 billion lower than CBO estimated in March 2012, and the lower cost is due to the Supreme Court’s June 2012 decision that limited the federal government’s ability to enforce the Medicaid expansion. CBO estimates that due to the Court’s decision, there will be less government spending on Medicaid, and even though there will be more government spending on exchange subsidies for people who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid, there will be an overall decrease in spending. It’s important to remember that this decrease in spending is because more people will lack coverage; and these numbers don’t account for the costs of uncompensated care.

Although in its July 2012 numbers, the CBO did not update its projection of the ACA’s overall reduction of the budget deficit, it did update a previous estimate of the potential cost of repealing the ACA. CBO now estimates that repealing the ACA would increase federal budget deficits by $109 billion over the 2013–2022 period. Repealing the coverage provisions would save $1,171 billion over that period, but repealing the rest of the act would increase direct spending and reduce revenues by a total of $1,280 billion. For more information, see the resources listed below. (FAQ top)