re: What are the economics of Affordable Care Act?

Nice analysis. For many Americans ACA will simply be a redistributive program. They will not notice a material change in health care's share of the economy. It will effectively be a zero sum game to those people. Whether they are winners or losers in the game will be apparent to them real soon. Obama, and the Democrats, bet that the winners will outnumber the losers and reward them in the voting booth.

The Democrats realize they missed the mark, and will likely lose their bet. Thus, Obama has been trying to rig the game to change the perceptions of who is winning v. losing until after the next election.