In one of the most impactful changes ever devised by Washington, a sweeping health care overhaul bill has been signed by President Obama. The president declared that “health care reform is no longer an unmet promise. It is the law of the land.” The Affordable Health Care for America Act aims to guarantee health insurance to every U.S. citizen, especially the estimated 32 million currently without coverage. Some of the most important changes are not scheduled to go into effect until 2014. The law, estimated to cost $940 billion over 10 years, will likely reshape the way virtually all Americans receive and pay for health care.
Among the act’s features are mandates that most Americans obtain health insurance or pay a fine, requirements that employers extend coverage, and limits on insurance companies from engaging in certain practices, such as denying coverage because of a person’s preexisting medical condition. To assist those who can’t afford to get insured, the law offers subsidies. To pay for the reforms, the federal government will cut projected payments to hospitals, insurance companies, and others under Medicare and various existing programs. It will also increase certain taxes and fees, most of the latter to be paid by businesses in the health care industry.
Passage of the complex legislation represents a huge victory for Obama and the Democrats. After fourteen months of political struggle, Congress passed the bill without the support of a single Republican vote. Evoking the promise of his 2008 campaign for “change,” Obama said of the measure: “This isn’t radical reform. But it is major reform. This legislation will not fix everything that ails our health care system. But it moves us decisively in the right direction. This is what change looks like.”
To win passage, House Democratic leaders promised some reluctant representatives that the Senate would quickly pass a “fix-it” measure. It did so, two days later. This means the bill signed by Obama, which was not a product of a congressional conference committee, now reflects the wishes of majorities in both chambers. The consistent opposition of Republicans, who are already calling for the law’s repeal, ensures that the 2010 midterm elections may be a “referendum” on the issue. President Obama has begun an effort to explain what he sees as the benefits of the law. Meanwhile, the law’s constitutionality will be tested in court, as attorneys general from 13 states immediately filed suit to stop it from going into effect.
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Related Links
- Health Care Reform Coverage by the Los Angelas Times
This Los Angeles Times article covers the passage of the historic Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2010, signed into law by President Obama on March 23.
(Source: Los Angeles Times, March 26, 2010) - Obama Signs Health Care Bill; Senate to Take Up House Changes
This article examines the health care overhaul legislation just signed into law—and reactions to it—as well as the legislative task that was left to the Senate to complete.
(Source: CNN, March 23, 2010) - Congressional Budget Office’s Health Care Reform Bill Assumptions Are Questioned
This article, written before the bill passed, analyzes the positive estimates of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that claim the just-passed health care overhaul would reduce future budget deficits—estimates that will be tested in the months and years to come.
(Source: McClatchy-Tribune News Service, March 19, 2010) - The White House Blog: “This Is What Change Looks Like”
President Barack Obama’s official Web site announces the passage of a sweeping health care reform bill; includes a video of Obama speaking on March 21, the night of the Democratic legislative victory, and the text of his speech.
(Source: www.whitehouse.gov; accessed March 31, 2010)
Critical Thinking Questions
- Summarize What are some key features of the new health care reform package?
- Make Inferences What might be some long-term effects of the federal government’s increased role in health care?
- Form and Support Opinions In the upcoming 2010 midterm congressional elections, which political party’s candidates do you think will be helped most by the passage of the health care reform bill?