To cover people who were previously not economically insurable. Two groups-- pre-existing conditions and uninsured poor (who are now subsidized) with poor health (think junkies, AIDS, etc). They were the ones who signed up for this, so you suddenly have a pool that has far too many sick people, and not just sick, EXPENSIVELY sick, with fewer healthy people. Result: The death spiral that conservatives predicted-- rates keep going up, driving out relatively healthy people, some of whom become part of the problem by signing up AFTER they get an expensive health problem.
Many thanks! Yeah, Rehab too! I just couldn’t get my mind around it.