Few pieces of legislation have been discussed and argued over as much as the Affordable Care Act. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barrack Obama on March 23, 2010. Since the ACA became law, it has been targeted by politicians who disagree with its model. Writers, including Jonathan Cohn, detail the problems with the Democrat’s version of the Affordable Care Act. Cohn and fellow commentators exploring the political history of the ACA explain the Republican-led efforts to repeal the law have been hampered by the fear of leaving millions of Americans without health insurance. The political history of the Affordable Care Act is contentious and filled with battles at every level of the legislature.
President Obama’s Campaign Promise
Healthcare reform was a campaign promise of President Obama during his 2008 Presidential campaign. The Democrat became the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009, and immediately began exploring the options for a universal healthcare system. The ACA started life in the House of Representatives following a joint session of Congress in September 2009.
The Democrats held the majority in the House of Representatives and pushed for the inclusion of a government-backed insurance option. The development of the ACA included the publicly-owned health insurance option to rival private insurance programs. The first version of the Affordable Care Act passed the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives by a slim majority of five votes. The left-leaning House was always likely to pass a vote for a healthcare bill featuring a more radical agenda.
It soon became apparent that the centrist Senate would not accept the radical nature of the bill in its initial form. The changes needed for the ACA to pass the Senate posed a problem because all bills raising revenue need to originate in the House of Representatives. The Senate rewrote the ACA and put it forward in place of a proposed military housing bill. The House and the Senate agreed to the reworked ACA to speed its passage through Congress. Among the changes made by the Senate was the removal of a government-funded health insurance program to be made available alongside Medicaid and Medicare.
The Affordable Care Act may have passed Congress in a different form if it could have made it to the Senate before the death of Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy. Republican Scott Brown replaced Kennedy to leave the Democrats a single vote short of a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority. Despite the battles facing the Democrats as they looked to increase the number of people with health insurance across the nation.
The Impact of the Affordable Care Act
Passing through Congress and being signed into law by President Obama was not the end of the controversy over the Affordable Care Act. Legal challenges continued for several years as conservative groups challenged the legality of the ACA, and left-leaning groups argued its scope was not large enough.
The ACA addressed several issues facing the uninsured in the U.S. The ACA opened up state-owned healthcare marketplaces, which provide access to health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. Among the changes made to the health insurance landscape are limits placed on individual companies regarding the amount of premium payments used as profit. Insurers have had new restrictions placed on them, including insurers not being permitted to drop insured people because of pre-existing conditions or disabilities. Insurance companies have been limited in their ability to drop patients based on age.
The wording of the Affordable Care Act expanded healthcare programs to provide access to preventative care options. Women’s health was placed high on the list of requirements in the ACA. Among the care options required by the ACA is access to breast and cervical cancer treatments. Other women’s health care includes access to HIV screening and STI counseling.
Opponents of the Affordable Care Act can be found on both sides of the political aisle, with pharmaceutical companies allowed to inflate the price of brand-name medications. A tax on brand-name medications has been passed onto the consumer in the form of higher prices for drugs. Despite the requirements of the ACA that any company with more than 50 employees must offer group health insurance coverage, many Americans feel medical bills are difficult to pay. To help Americans facing unemployment, the ACA marketplace is open for 60 days after the loss of employer-provided health insurance to aid the unemployed in their quest to remain insured.
What are the Results of the Affordable Care Act?
No matter which side of the political debate people hail from, the Affordable Care Act can be seen as both a success and a failure. The benefits of the ACA include providing healthcare to millions of Americans and protecting the most vulnerable in society. Ensuring those with disabilities and older people cannot be dropped by healthcare providers because of pre-existing conditions.
From October 2013 to April 2015, over 16 million Americans gained health insurance to show the success of the Affordable Care Act. In contrast, the main complaint for the insured is the high cost of health insurance premiums, co-pays, and medical bills. The ACA aimed to provide affordable healthcare for all Americans, but it can be argued this has not been achieved.
The changes to the American healthcare system have made it difficult for insurers to avoid losses and withdraw from state marketplaces. Insurers leaving the marketplace makes it difficult for the insured to reach co-pay targets to allow them to receive treatment without added cost.
President Obama and the Democrats aimed to provide affordable healthcare coverage for all Americans. Although this has not been achieved, the number of insured people has risen compared to 2009. Republicans have yet to be successful in repeal efforts because a replacement system has not been found. The inability to find an adequate replacement system leaves the Republicans and Democrats tied to the ACA or risk stripping millions of Americans of their health insurance. President Trump and leading Republicans continue to discuss repealing the ACA but have yet to follow through with these campaign promises. The ACA looks set to remain in place for the foreseeable future because its removal would open up new problems for Congress and The White House.
Few pieces of legislation have been discussed and argued over as much as the Affordable Care Act. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barrack Obama on March 23, 2010. Since the ACA became law, it has been targeted by politicians who disagree with its model. Writers, including Jonathan Cohn, detail the problems with the Democrat’s version of the Affordable Care Act. Cohn and fellow commentators exploring the political history of the ACA explain the Republican-led efforts to repeal the law have been hampered by the fear of leaving millions of Americans without health insurance. The political history of the Affordable Care Act is contentious and filled with battles at every level of the legislature.
President Obama’s Campaign Promise
Healthcare reform was a campaign promise of President Obama during his 2008 Presidential campaign. The Democrat became the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009, and immediately began exploring the options for a universal healthcare system. The ACA started life in the House of Representatives following a joint session of Congress in September 2009.
The Democrats held the majority in the House of Representatives and pushed for the inclusion of a government-backed insurance option. The development of the ACA included the publicly-owned health insurance option to rival private insurance programs. The first version of the Affordable Care Act passed the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives by a slim majority of five votes. The left-leaning House was always likely to pass a vote for a healthcare bill featuring a more radical agenda.
It soon became apparent that the centrist Senate would not accept the radical nature of the bill in its initial form. The changes needed for the ACA to pass the Senate posed a problem because all bills raising revenue need to originate in the House of Representatives. The Senate rewrote the ACA and put it forward in place of a proposed military housing bill. The House and the Senate agreed to the reworked ACA to speed its passage through Congress. Among the changes made by the Senate was the removal of a government-funded health insurance program to be made available alongside Medicaid and Medicare.
The Affordable Care Act may have passed Congress in a different form if it could have made it to the Senate before the death of Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy. Republican Scott Brown replaced Kennedy to leave the Democrats a single vote short of a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority. Despite the battles facing the Democrats as they looked to increase the number of people with health insurance across the nation.
The Impact of the Affordable Care Act
Passing through Congress and being signed into law by President Obama was not the end of the controversy over the Affordable Care Act. Legal challenges continued for several years as conservative groups challenged the legality of the ACA, and left-leaning groups argued its scope was not large enough.
The ACA addressed several issues facing the uninsured in the U.S. The ACA opened up state-owned healthcare marketplaces, which provide access to health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. Among the changes made to the health insurance landscape are limits placed on individual companies regarding the amount of premium payments used as profit. Insurers have had new restrictions placed on them, including insurers not being permitted to drop insured people because of pre-existing conditions or disabilities. Insurance companies have been limited in their ability to drop patients based on age.
The wording of the Affordable Care Act expanded healthcare programs to provide access to preventative care options. Women’s health was placed high on the list of requirements in the ACA. Among the care options required by the ACA is access to breast and cervical cancer treatments. Other women’s health care includes access to HIV screening and STI counseling.
Opponents of the Affordable Care Act can be found on both sides of the political aisle, with pharmaceutical companies allowed to inflate the price of brand-name medications. A tax on brand-name medications has been passed onto the consumer in the form of higher prices for drugs. Despite the requirements of the ACA that any company with more than 50 employees must offer group health insurance coverage, many Americans feel medical bills are difficult to pay. To help Americans facing unemployment, the ACA marketplace is open for 60 days after the loss of employer-provided health insurance to aid the unemployed in their quest to remain insured.
What are the Results of the Affordable Care Act?
No matter which side of the political debate people hail from, the Affordable Care Act can be seen as both a success and a failure. The benefits of the ACA include providing healthcare to millions of Americans and protecting the most vulnerable in society. Ensuring those with disabilities and older people cannot be dropped by healthcare providers because of pre-existing conditions.
From October 2013 to April 2015, over 16 million Americans gained health insurance to show the success of the Affordable Care Act. In contrast, the main complaint for the insured is the high cost of health insurance premiums, co-pays, and medical bills. The ACA aimed to provide affordable healthcare for all Americans, but it can be argued this has not been achieved.
The changes to the American healthcare system have made it difficult for insurers to avoid losses and withdraw from state marketplaces. Insurers leaving the marketplace makes it difficult for the insured to reach co-pay targets to allow them to receive treatment without added cost.
President Obama and the Democrats aimed to provide affordable healthcare coverage for all Americans. Although this has not been achieved, the number of insured people has risen compared to 2009. Republicans have yet to be successful in repeal efforts because a replacement system has not been found. The inability to find an adequate replacement system leaves the Republicans and Democrats tied to the ACA or risk stripping millions of Americans of their health insurance. President Trump and leading Republicans continue to discuss repealing the ACA but have yet to follow through with these campaign promises. The ACA looks set to remain in place for the foreseeable future because its removal would open up new problems for Congress and The White House.
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