I've been asked by friends to explain my general approval for President Obama's performance during his first 20 months in office. I'll honor those requests over the next few days, one element at a time. I'll include links you can follow to the supporting financial figures. And there's a thoughtful overview by Tom Dickinson in the October 28 issue of Rolling Stone.
Health Care Reform
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 increases protection for patients against poor care and overcharging and reduces the actual cost of care throughout the system right down to the individual patient.
By the end the decade the health care act will ensure that 95 percent of Americans have health coverage AND it will reduce the federal deficit by $143 billion.
Much of that deficit reduction comes from reductions in corporate welfare programs that inserted huge profits for insurance company middlemen who added no value to the delivery of health care.
Starting in 2014, no insurance company will be allowed to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition or impose a cap on coverage for chronic conditions that may last a lifetime.
Right now, children cannot be denied coverage, regardless of preexisting conditions. And health coverage under family insurance plans is extended to age 26. Older Americans are receiving $250 checks to help fill the gap in Medicare drug coverage even as Medicare's solvency has been extended by another dozen years by this legislation alone.
Was the lawmaking process pretty? It was not. Is the law perfect? Nope; not from where I sit.
But the health care act is beneficial and cost-effective nonetheless. Just imagine what we could accomplish if, going forward, we worked on this together.
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