The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is an iconic United States federal statute passed by the 111th Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. This landmark legislation included numerous provisions.
The Affordable Care Act required Americans to acquire health insurance or face a penalty. Furthermore, insurers were prohibited from placing annual or lifetime limits on coverage while young adults could remain on their parents’ policies until age 26.
President Obama
Barack Obama ran for president in 2008 after hearing stories of Americans being denied health insurance or struggling under medical debt burden. After entering the White House, he pledged his effort to reforming America’s broken healthcare system.
Obama cancelled his trip to Australia and Indonesia so he could cast his vote when the Senate passed their bill on Christmas Eve, promising the House, which had made modifications, that they would support their version of it by passing it.
The Affordable Care Act would prohibit denial of coverage due to preexisting conditions, require everyone to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty and expand Medicaid coverage for more Americans. It also established a Prevention and Public Health Fund which supports innovative new approaches to healthcare delivery with reduced costs and better quality – RAND research eventually confirmed these provisions had led to dramatic improvements across many key metrics; yet not without its critics.
The House
Nancy Pelosi orchestrated and passed a comprehensive health care reform bill through the House, convincing Democrats not to scale back their ambitions in negotiations with Senate members, and overseeing final passage of ACA without any Republican support.
Pelosi’s team was careful to protect the Affordable Care Act from Republican attacks and used budget reconciliation to pass its final version in December 2009. This allowed it to pass without needing 60 votes in the Senate.
The Affordable Care Act included many beneficial reforms, such as eliminating pre-existing condition discrimination and mandating that insurance companies treat all people equally. Furthermore, consumer protections were established such as permitting young adults to remain on their parents’ coverage until age 26 while prohibiting annual or lifetime limits on coverage. Furthermore, access to affordable health care was expanded for millions of Americans; creating more access and affordability than ever before within our healthcare system. Eventually the ACA transformed America’s healthcare system – becoming more accessible, affordable, and high quality than ever before – since
The Senate
As the Senate health-care debate began, Democrats had 60 votes but still struggled to craft legislation. Their efforts were further hindered by Ted Kennedy’s death and Scott Brown being elected by Republicans as his replacement. To try and restore momentum, President Obama delivered a prime-time speech turning health care into a moral imperative; dispelling myths like those surrounding “death panels”, while assuring voters that no bill would contain abortion coverage.
Pelosi and her members fought tirelessly against Republican attacks against the Affordable Care Act (ACA), ultimately passing it in December 2009. It prohibits lifetime monetary caps on health coverage, limits annual limitations, and allows young adults to remain on their parents’ policy until age 26. It also expands Medicaid so more states can cover more individuals, and offers affordable private health plans through state or multistate-based marketplaces to those without employer-based coverage; you may even be able to deduct medical expenses from your taxes while insurers must offer coverage for preexisting conditions.
The White House
After the 2008 elections, President Obama was well positioned to make health care reform a top priority. Today, millions of Americans benefit from the Affordable Care Act’s provisions – such as preexisting condition patients no longer being denied coverage; young adults able to remain on their parents’ plans until they turn 26; and insurance companies no longer having annual or lifetime coverage caps in effect.
President Obama assembled an extensive coalition in his pursuit of health reform. These included union members, local advocates, lawmakers from both parties and ordinary Americans such as Natoma Canfield from Ohio who wrote to her representatives in Congress detailing her struggle to afford rising insurance premiums.
Natoma’s story was featured prominently on a poster hanging in the Oval Office for two years – serving as a powerful reminder that the Affordable Care Act was not created solely by any one person or party, but represented an immense nation-wide effort.
