Obama Health Care

Historic legislation was signed on March 23, 2010 by President Barack Obama, legislation that is intended to change the American health care system forever. After decades of wrestling with this quandary, Obama is the first American president to finally put a plan into place. In its original incarnation, it was meant to grant access to healthcare to those who had previously been unable to get it, and still does for many even with the concessions made. However, Obama health care has yet to see an easy road to success, but certain changes have already taken place that are probably permanent, changes that may yet bode well for those struggling to get health insurance coverage under the current system.

Obama health care as it stands today

The Obama health care plan intends to give insurance coverage to more than 30 million people who previously haven’t been able to access it, mostly by expanding existing Medicaid services and giving subsidies to those with low to moderate incomes so that they can buy private insurance. Those who must buy individual insurance policies will also receive help through insurance exchanges.

Another improvement is that insurance companies are prohibited from denying coverage to those with preexisting conditions. Medicare will see some changes, too. A panel of experts will be created to oversee the Medicare, and they will limit reimbursement from Medicare so that it only covers currently effective treatments; it also encourages providers to limit charges by individual procedure and instead to bundle services for cost effective savings.

The plan is expected to cost about $938 billion over the next 10 years, and reduce the deficit by about $138 billion in the same time period.

Roadblocks for Obama health care

Obama health care has already been challenged in court more than 20 times, and today, it is now awaiting a hearing by the Supreme Court. Arguments are expected to begin in March with a decision in June. The court challenges that have been filed against Obama health care are further complicated by the fact that appellate court findings in those challenges are sometimes conflicting.

Although its fate is as yet uncertain, there are certain aspects to the Obama plan that have gone into play and are unlikely to be repealed. For example, regardless of what the Supreme Court rules, health insurers are already under strict oversight as set in place by the plan, and more than one million young adults have received extended health care coverage under their parents’ insurance plans. There are more protections for workers who have preexisting conditions, and the plan has forced institutions take an unpleasant and unwelcome look at healthcare’s relentlessly rising costs.

The crux of Obama health care’s challenges, though, is the question of whether or not Congress even has the constitutional power to require that individuals either buy insurance or pay a fine. This “individual mandate” was put in place to require insurance coverage for all, but dissenters argue that it violates the individual’s right to choose. Paradoxically, insurance companies are on board with the individual mandate, since if healthy individuals must buy insurance, they argue that they will have more money to treat those with chronic conditions, those who will be more expensive for the health industry to treat. Whether that is their true focus (and not pure profit) remains to be seen.

Republicans across the board have challenged and decried it, and Democrats have not been happy with the concessions Obama has made in order to get it passed into law. Because of this, it remains generally disliked by many, with those who supported the original plan nearly as displeased as those who didn’t want its passage at all. With the removal of a true public option, many argue, the health care industry has no counterpoint to artificially inflated pricing meant for pure profit, and of no benefit to the private consumer.

Mark South
Obama Health Care

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