Until recently, I'd never really thought much about the Affordable Care Act's ripple effects.

Sure, it has obviously helped me: When my son graduated from college in the midst of the Great Recession and there were no jobs available that offered health insurance for him, he was still covered under my workplace insurance through the ACA.

But it has been a pain in the butt as well: A few years ago, when my department was laid off and I lost my employer-provided insurance, I was required to buy insurance from my state exchange, even though I felt I didn't need it and could barely afford it. (Ironically, by then my son had found a good job with health insurance—why couldn't the ACA have allowed parents to be covered under kids' insurance?)