Obamacare - Good or Bad for Democrats - analysis

In brief, there was a report by the non-artisan Congressional Budget Office (which analyses government policy and spending) about the impact of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). In essence the headline is that there is a cost to the economy.

Supporters of Obamacare. Picture Credit: Economist.com

Republicans are now able to claim that Obamacare will cost jobs, and Democrats say that it won't. Analysis about the messages here from Politico.com.

Writers at the Economist are also divided - analysis here saying it is bad (paywall), and analysis here saying it isn't essentially bad for the US economy. The nub of the issue is whether you think it's a good or a bad thing that thanks to the subsidy of Obamacare Americans are able to get more free time for the same money by spending less time at work.

Although the ins and outs of the argument are too detailed for G and P students' requirements and are more appropriate for an economist, it nevertheless does highlight the problem that President Obama has with the policy and its implementation.