On March 23, 2010, The Patient of Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, signified the healthcare reform President Barack Obama put forth for an increase in healthcare availability. The president’s hope for this reform includes convenient health insurance for those in all economic classes. Obamacare remains a controversial topic, further dividing the political status of the country.
Political analysts predict that nearly 6 out of 10 Americans will pay one hundred dollars or less for healthcare. This plan forces insurance companies to lower their prices and sell their coverage individually. The reform states that not only will citizens keep their current doctors, but the quality of Medicare (health insurance) will increase. Obama promises the nation an inexpensive reform, maintaining the current economic status of the country.
Many disregard the potentially positive effects of Obamacare and side with more Republican ideals. As Rutuja Kulkarni ‘15 states, “Although Obamacare may have a possibility of offering some solutions, it still remains a major issue on which Republicans and Democrats differ.”
Many Republican idealists believe that workers will lose their current healthcare coverage due to the amount of people receiving the same coverage at a lesser cost. Obamacare causes a problematic situation for small businesses made up of fifty or less workers. Businesses are forced to hire fewer amounts of workers, since they are unable to offer the healthcare benefits and salary.
In regard to Medicare, the healthcare reform poses a shortage of doctors. Studies reveal that physicians working in Medicaid were paid 58% of the salary physicians in a private sector receive. Some believe that with the amount of malpractices and shortage of care physicians, the initial effect of health insurance becomes misguided.
Vivek Gurumoorthy ‘17 states, “Obamacare has divided the nation in certain ways.” He believes the divide in social and economic classes has only increased. And certainly the debate over the Act’s validity has only just begun.