Was the ACA "shoved down our throats"?

This post appeared on my newsfeed written by someone I’ve never met in response to the story of Aetna pulling out of one of their less profitable healthcare markets. The story is being spun as an example that the Affordable Care Act was wrong all along and that the insurance companies know best. I see red whenever the words “shoved down our throats” are used to describe an act of Congress.

Danita *** ***: I don't have any issue with healthcare for all. I DO think this plan wasn't done well and shoved down the throats of most Americans who now can't afford the premiums or are opting to risk the IRS penalty because it's too cost prohibitive. What Congress should do is look closely at Medicare and Medicaid fix the issues there THEN add what's needed to cover those who are not insured. Yes the insurance industry is as corrupt as Washington politicians but until those two entities work together the problem will not be resolved and the middle class will carry that burden.

My reply was admittedly written in haste, and I took it down the next day in accordance with my Facebook rule (see What is Since You Asked?). What I object to in thought processes like the above is the belief that all problems can be solved with "simple" solutions. The fact is, the best we can do is to get people we trust to look after our interests to study these questions, postulate solutions, try them, modify them, and move on to the next problem.

My response:

No, Danita. Amazingly enough the greatest achievement in human history, the US Government, is operating fine. Everything it is and does was decided by the representatives of the people. Nothing was shoved down anyone's throat with the possible exception of quietly reducing the top marginal bracket from +70% in Eisenhower's day to the low 30s by the time Reagan left office. We still have the most capable military on the planet in the unfortunate circumstance that we need it. The US economy is still the envy of the world. Perfect? No. Wasn't planned that way. It was designed to be a series of compromises by humans attempting to live in some kind of harmony with each other, and it's doing that rather well. Other than when legislators refuse to even discuss an issue. That's a problem. Maybe you should vote against such people.

In the cold light of day it is a rather simplistic view of Washington DC, and ignores the enormous problem of campaign finance reform. Still, I prefer to believe that even the most corrupt of politicians in Congress would put the interests of the country above their own when push came to shove. What I refrained from saying, and the thing that mystifies me the most about health care reform, is in an age where the average job duration is 4.6 years why we still require insurance to be linked to a particular employer.