The Obamacare debate has always been rife with myths, from the infamous “death panels” to the armed IRS agents that would arrest those who don’t buy insurance (really, this was an actual myth).

But as the Affordable Care Act turns five, it appears one myth reigns above them all: the idea that the health-care law has gotten increasingly expensive over time.

A Vox poll conducted by communications firm PerryUndem shows that 42 percent of Americans think Obamacare has cost “more than expected.” Only 5 percent got the right answer: that the Affordable Care Act has actually come in under budget, costing “less than what was estimated.”

Yes, it’s really true: Obamacare has come in under budget. Twice in the past year, the Congressional Budget Office has revised downward projected spending on the Affordable Care Act. In fact, the federal government is expected to spend less on health care now than it predicted in early 2010 — and those predictions didn’t include any spending from Obamacare!

That isn’t just about Obamacare — projections on what we’ll spend on Medicare and Medicaid, the two other big federal health-care programs, went down, too. But it is pretty remarkable that health-care spending is now expected to be lower than projections made before Congress passed a massive health insurance expansion.

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Jeffrey R. Ungvary President