"I said to myself there's no way they can do this, there's no way," said Leroy Dick from Elkhart.
Leroy and his family are bracing for what could come their way -- more bills.
"You have people barely making it paycheck-to-paycheck and I'm one of them," he said.
He said the Supreme Court's decision on Thursday places his family in a pickle.
"It will force me to find another part-time or full-time job to afford health care with the cost it is now," Dick said.
Leroy said health care through his job right now costs 1/4 of his paycheck every week so he opted out of that plan. His family takes health care day-to-day -- and pays out-of-pocket if any treatment is needed.
Like many critics, Leroy said having health care should be his choice, not a government mandate.
"There's a lot of politics and emotions behind this," said Dr. Jesse Hsieh, President of The Board of Trustees at The South Bend Clinic.
Dr. Hsieh said now that everyone will be insured, the biggest change we'll see is the demand for primary care doctors.
"We're gonna have a tremendous shortage of primary care doctors - you're going to have to do everything you can to keep the primary doctor you have now," he said.
For those not insured, many are confused at how they're going to pay for it. This new law requires that each state offer subsidized health plans by 2014 - this is supposed to make health care more affordable.
But many still don't know what to expect two years from now -- especially with a presidential election just months away.
"I think uncertainty is what makes people crazy- there's just a lot of open ended-ness to this," Dr. Hsieh said.
Leroy isn't opposed to reform, but says he's not in favor of a law, he says, forces him to have another bill to pay.
"Healthcare is not cheap anymore," Dick said.
On the other hand, there are some families in our area that are looking forward to this new legislation.
They shared their thoughts on our Facebook page:
Mary McCauley says, "I have cancer, and I'm so thankful that it passed. Until you live in fear that you will hit your cap no one will understand."
Karen Comer says "I have been trying for years to get my mother, who has dementia, medical help that she needs. Maybe this bill can help those who do not "qualify" for government assistance."
