The President’s attempt to increase health insurance coverage is known as The Affordable Care Act - better known as “Obama-care” reducing the overall costs to both government and the public. It consists of an expansion of Medicaid (subsidized insurance for the poor), several patient protection provisions, and the mandate that requires all Americans to have health insurance, or face a tax penalty.
Obama-care is the single biggest legislative achievement of Obama’s presidency, but its value as part of a campaign platform is not very clear but questionable. The US Supreme Court ruled that the law was mostly constitutional, but Americans have never warmed to the law as a whole. Despite this, they approve of most of the law’s specific measures, including preventing denial of coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. The President has embraced the term “Obama-care” on the campaign trail, saying it: “Proves I do care”.
The Republican platform is defined by its opposition to Obama-care - the tagline is “Repeal and Replace.” Romney is in a difficult position, as his own healthcare reforms in Massachusetts - known as “Romney-care” - were very similar to Obama’s. Romney has moved carefully so far, calling for some changes in federal regulations but giving few clues about what he would put in place of Obama's law. Slipped in at the bottom of his platform is tort reform - a Republican holy grail of healthcare policy that would limit the scope for malpractice suits against doctors and America's medical industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment