Background Information on Affordable Health Care Act aka Obamacare
The Affordable Health Care Act, which was enacted on March 23, 2010, represents a dramatic change in the American relationship with health care.
For the first time, the elimination of lifetime and annual limits on coverage will ensure that insurance coverage will be there when someone is seriously ill, and nobody can be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Preventive care will be fully covered, ensuring that basic health care will not be out of reach for anyone. Under the new law, those without job-based coverage will be able to gain coverage through new health insurance exchanges, with subsidies for those with low incomes to ensure that coverage is affordable.
But, most conservatives and their spokesman, new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, believe and publicly state that "ObamaCare," as they refer to the new law, ruined the best healthcare in the world and that it will bankrupt the nation. They have made it a priority to repeal the law or at least defund its major provisions within the next few months, effectively neutering the Health Care Act.
One of the strategies that conservatives are using is to have the State Attorneys General file lawsuits on the provision that the mandatory requirement for all persons to purchase insurance or pay a fine is unconstitutional. So far, the results of those suits are mixed.
The mandatory participation requirement is similar to that of Social Security. It's designed to lower costs by enrolling all Americans and especially healthy young people in the insurance pool. The young and healthy would generally not opt in until they had a medical problem that forced them to use the most expensive (Emergency Room) care, often without payment.
Republicans will likely be able to pass whatever legislation they wish, now that they control the House, to repeal, roll back parts of, or de-fund ObamaCare. The challenge will be going further as Democrats control the Senate and they will be reluctant to support a bill for full repeal.
The most likely outcome, given the divided Congress and a pro-abortion president who will veto any repeal measure, is a push for legislation to scale back some of the most onerous provisions and yank as much funding as possible -- setting up potential efforts to repeal it fully in 2012 depending on the results of the presidential and congressional elections.
Valarie Sowers
AP GovtGovt Honors
After reading please answer these questions in full sentence and turn in tomorrow.
1.) What are the arguments being put forward for repealing The Affordable Health Care Act?
2.) What are the arguments for maintaining the new law?
3.) What changes do both parties agree could be made to make the new law better, without repealing it outright?
4.) What are some strategies that lawmakers may use to repeal or disable the law?
5.) Even if a vote to repeal the law passes, do you believe President Obama will sign off on it?
6.) What do you favor--repeal or maintain, and why?