Didn't your mother qualify for the tax credits/subsidy? Of course, the subsidy varies by state, so it's entirely possible in her state she doesn't qualify for enough tax credit/subsidy to make a plan affordable. Doesn't she qualify for Medicare? If you have either Medicare or Medicaid, you aren't required to purchase insurance through the marketplace, nor are you penalized. Also, if you can't get a plan that costs less than 8% of your income, you are excluded from paying a penalty.
It's silly for a plan to include things like pregnancy when one is past childbearing age (or one is a male), but the insurance companies would make "ala cart" plans more expensive. I wish the Affordable Care Act included massive caps on the cost of insurance, but it would never have passed in that case. As it was, the marketplace is a poor substitute for the original plan ... which was a federal insurance. That would have driven the cost of insurance down for everyone.
Has anyone seen anything specific on how the Republicans intend to replace the Affordable Care Act? I've only seen vague comments that of course, it will be replaced it with something "good." If it is so good, why is it secret? Repealing any part of the Affordable Care Act or all of it will result in insurance and health care being unaffordable for everyone once again.