Affordable Care Act

I keep reading that the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare was started to offer affordable insurance, but I looked at some of the costs and just do not see where it is affordable. Before I was laid off from my job I was paying around $100/mo for my family. When I looked at Obamacare the lost cost, their Bronze plan, was going to cost $174/mo. To me that is not very affordable. When Obamacare was first introduced the majority of the American people stated they did not want it and I just recently read an article that stated the latest polls showed the majority of the American people did not want it, so why are we being required to have it? Why is it even in effect? The plan is not ready and all the problems with it on the first day suggest this. So why is it being forced on us?