The first word in the laughably misnamed “Affordable Care Act” refers to the way that Obamacare is supposed to lower the cost of health care.

The president promised infamously that his plan would cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year. Instead, the average family premium was about $2,581 higher by last year than it was in 2010, the year Obamacare was enacted.

Those premiums are going to go right on briskly rising, say experts.

And if you don’t buy coverage on the government-run “exchanges” but still get it through your employer, you’re in for a shock in 2017 — assuming your employer can still afford to cover you, which is looking increasingly unlikely.

But “affordable” also meant that the government would help pay the premiums, high as they might go. Obamacare includes subsidies to cover part of the premiums for plans bought on the exchanges. These give taxpayer money to insurers to cover part of the premium for buyers earning as much as four times the poverty level. They were supposed to make it pain-free for most buyers, so that middle-class America would fall in love with Obamacare.

It’s not turning out that way. USA Today reports that the subsidies, which are structured as tax credits, mean that "hundreds of thousands of consumers could owe back some of that money next April.”

The subsidies vary with income and life situation, such as whether you’re married. But they are paid before that income is earned, so if anything changes between the time you buy coverage one year and file taxes the next winter, the IRS may want money back:

"Those affected took advance payments of the premium tax credit for health insurance. Some married couples could owe $600 or $1,500 or $2,500 or even more. It might feel like a raw deal for some who are already suffocating under the escalating costs of health insurance. . . .

"Experts say people need to realize early on that they should report changes in income and other changes in one's life, such as a marriage, throughout the year. See HealthCare.gov to report 'income and life changes.’”

The paper points out that the snag won’t hit everyone. But it is most likely to affect “people in transition,” as one expert put it — those who are in and out of work, or those who don’t hold a regular 9-to-5 job. So people with plenty of stress in their lives, in other words, will be getting a second dose of it from the IRS because of the way government “helped” them.

This isn’t the biggest problem with Obamacare, or the most widespread. But it again shows the real legacy of this “reform” — the government meant to help people but made buying health coverage still harder. Health insurance used to involve understanding deductibles and co-pays — now it also includes dealing with the IRS. Obamacare doesn’t just cost you more money, it may cost you more stress.