Affordable Care Act Costs Exceed Benefits…or Do They?

The American Action Forum, a center-right policy institute, reported that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has regulatory costs that exceeds benefits by 2.5 times.  According to the research, ACA annualized costs are $6.8 billion compared to annualized benefits falling short at $2.6 billion. 

The costs were mainly explained through an increase in mandated regulatory paperwork burdens.  Other sections of the research address issues with small business owners and attempt to relate the ACA to the stagnant national unemployment rate.  The research article fails to explain the $2.6 billion of benefits.  The article also avoids discussion of the controversial web site HealthCare.gov.

Benefits in government policy are difficult to identify because most address intangible aspects of a citizen's life.  Can anyone truly monetize the benefit of the ACA? 

Most Americans would probably agree that a national health care solution would benefit the country in the long run, but few would agree on the mechanics by which to implement the plan.  Are there other issues in American health care that could be regulated to address the rising costs?