5 Reasons to Be Thankful for Obamacare

It's been nearly impossible to find any positive news about the Affordable Care Act lately.

Over the past few weeks, we've seen the roll-out of a $600 million website that didn't work. We've discovered that the Obama administration outright lied to the American public about several of the law's selling points. We've witnessed the cancellations of millions of Americans' existing insurance plans, and sharp increases in premiums and deductibles of many of the plans that weren't cancelled. And just the other day, we found out that the number of people who have actually enrolled in Obamacare's healthcare exchanges has barely topped 100,000 - a profoundly embarrassing figure that was nowhere near the administration's already weak projections.

And it doesn't appear that the news will be getting any better either. Several economists and policy experts are projecting that when Obamacare's employer mandate kicks in next year, many more millions of Americans will have their insurance policies cancelled, their work hours cut back, or perhaps even lose their jobs as a result of employers adjusting their business models to comply with the ACA's regulations.

Still, I think it's important, especially with the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaching, to take an optimist's approach in our assessment of Obamacare. This is the season, after all, where we're supposed to take a step back and feel thankful for the many things we have in our lives. And with the Affordable Care Act now playing a significant role in many of our lives, I figured I'd list five reasons for why we should all be thankful for it:

New Jobs

After five years of unemployment above 7%, and a more and more people continuing to drop out of the American workforce, we can at least take some satisfaction in knowing that at least three jobs were created as a result of Obamacare. I'm talking, of course, about those of the super-cool "bros" from the "Thanks, Obamacare" campaign running in my home state of Colorado (pictured below).

We've seen them discussed a fair amount on cable news lately, those beer-guzzling, radical dudes who've been telling us how gnarly it is to have their keg-stand stunts and girlfriends' birth control covered under Obamacare. Sure, one might interpret their jobs as serving no practical purpose other than reminding people that Colorado recently legalized pot, but with young adults having an especially tough time in this economy, it's nice to that there is indeed work available for those with unidentifiable talent.

And really, this could just be the beginning of a big jobs boom within certain industries. Just think of all of the new personnel that country clubs across the nation will surely need to hire in order to accommodate the needs of the many doctors who'll soon be retiring early from their practices to avoid all the crippling regulations and bureaucracy put into law by the Affordable Care Act. Sure, we'll have fewer practicing doctors among us, but for every medical professional that society loses, we may just gain a new golf caddy!

Smarter Spending Habits

With less take-home income in our pockets as a result of the rising insurance premiums, deductibles, and healthcare in general, we're less likely to spend our money on things we really don't need... like family vacations, eating out, hobbies, and all those other extraneous activities that make life enjoyable.

A More Honest America

We've all done it before. We've told our bosses or friends that we were late for work or an event because a doctor's appointment ran long, even if that wasn't quite the truth.

But thanks to Obamacare, there's an increased likelihood that if we use that excuse in the future, we won't be lying. Our country is already dealing with an alarming shortage of primary care providers. And with the remaining providers being discouraged from keeping their offices open by the massive bureaucracy behind Obamacare (while people who are newly insured are being added to the numbers seeking regular treatment), significantly longer waiting lines are undoubtedly in our future.

Thus, we can thank Obamacare for relieving us of the pressure of having to come up with phony excuses for our tardiness.

Easier Christmas Shopping

Let's face it: Shopping for Christmas presents for our children can be a trying experience. The toys and games our kids want aren't always the kinds of things we would prefer they have, whether it be due to price, impracticality, or other reasons. Yet, our children write up their gift lists each year, present them to the Santas at the local malls, and go to bed on Christmas Eve dreaming about waking up the next morning and finding some of those items waiting for them under trees or in stockings.

With a high-profile precedent recently set by President Obama, however, parents have been handed a creative public-relations tool for dealing with disappointed children who end up not getting what they wanted. Parents can simply tell them that their choice was "sub-par" and that they're not smart enough to know what they really wanted.

Therapy for Internet Addiction

Internet addiction adversely affects many families in this country every year, whether it comes in the form of online gambling, excessive video game playing, pornographic websites, or an unhealthy amount of time being wasted on social media.

Obamacare, however has changed all of that. For every hour someone spends online trying to figure out how to use the Healthcare.gov website without it crashing or losing the data they've entered, they're spending one less hour feeding their self-degrading Internet vices.

In fact, it stands to reason that because the user experience on Healthcare.gov is so excruciatingly bad, it might actually cause many people to sour on the Internet all together. That's a good thing, because when someone's sitting out on their front porch, feeling defeated and sobbing over their experience, they're less likely to suffer from computer eye strain and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

So you see, there is room to look at Obamacare from a glass-half-full perspective. And if we can keep that in mind throughout the holiday season, it might help us momentarily forget about all of the additional hardships that are coming our way once the healthcare law is fully implemented.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!