The ability of the Affordable Care Act to mitigate the current pressure of the uninsured on our healthcare system is unknown. However, the prediction is that it will greatly reduce the effect on emergency room systems across the nation. This reduction will be greatest in the southern and southwestern regions of the United States (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2013 p. 4). The potential is there, but the will of the population is yet to be seen. What does the future hold? Only the future knows. The United States spends large sums on healthcare, but fails to achieve superiority over other developed nations. It cannot be overlooked that the deepening recession has left many jobless and therefore without health insurance. According to Fairhall and Steadman (2009), although the recession is hard for everyone, it is worse for the uninsured due to the fact that health care and insurance costs rise faster than incomes. However, even those who have jobs do not have health insurance because employers, who provide the insurance, are increasingly abandoning their sponsored insurance. Many find that purchasing health insurance or paying for medical care out of pocket is cost-prohibitive. “Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed Americans has increased by 3.6 million” (Fairhall & Steadman, 2009). In 2009 it was stated that approximately 46 million Americans were uninsured, but not all of that number is due to an inability to afford coverage. According to a 2009 article written by Christopher Weaver of Kaiser Health News, 43 percent of that number should be classified as "voluntarily" uninsured. This subgroup of uninsured Americans is nearly half young and healthy; so...... middle of paper ...... AM Back page: Impact of health insurance expansion on patients, states, and providers. Long, S. K., Kenney, G. M., Zuckerman, S., Goin, D. E., Wissoker, D., Blavin, F., Blumber, L. (2014). The Health Reform Tracking Survey: Addressing data gaps to provide timely insights into the Affordable Care Act. Affirm Health, 33(1), 161-167. doi:10.1377/hithaff.2013.0934Sarpel, U., Vladeck, B. C., Divino, C. M., & Klotman, P. E. (2008). Fact and fiction: Debunking myths in the U.S. healthcare system. Annals of Surgery, 247(4), 563-569. doi:10.1097/SLA.0b013e318159d566Tanner, M.D. (January 22, 2014). Nothing to show for Obamacare. National Review.Weaver, C. (2009, October 3). People who choose not to have health insurance - Kaiser Health News. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/October/04/npr-voluntarily-uninsuring-explainer.aspx