Polarized Congress passes health care
Sarah Bigler
Staff Writer
“This is a big f---ing deal.”
That’s what Vice President Joe Biden said to President Barack Obama before the signing of the health care bill.
He wasn’t wrong. On March 23, Obama signed into law the largest social initiative since Medicare was passed 45 years ago. He signed the bill with 22 pens in front of 200 Democratic lawmakers and White House staffers with a smile on his face.
“This is what change looks like,” Obama said of the bill passing. “That our generation is able to succeed in passing this reform is a testament to the persistence and the character of the American people.”
This day was long in coming. Obama, along with many members of Congress in recent elections, campaigned on the promise of health care reform. His speech before signing the bill was repeatedly interrupted with shouts of excitement from the audience.
Among the witnesses present were Vicki Kennedy, widow of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, and their niece Caroline and son Patrick, who is a member of the House of Representatives. CNN reported that after the bill was signed, the surviving Kennedys walked to Ted’s gravesite and held a small victory party. Ted Kennedy was a tireless proponent of health care reform, and Patrick left a note on his grave. “Dad,” he wrote. “The unfinished work is done.”
Signing the bill into law was the result of many months spent debating, arguing and rewriting. The health care reform bill was the first major issue taken up by the president since his inauguration, and he finally saw his vision come to fruition.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as it's officially named, was passed in the House by a margin of 219 to 212. It was sent to the House of Representatives for approval after being passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve.
The Act will cover 30 to 32 million people who don’t currently have health insurance, including children. It requires most Americans to have health insurance of some kind, and allows 16 million of those people to join Medicare programs.
The process was marred by instances of inappropriate behavior. Protestors filled the streets outside the Capitol Building, chanting and holding up signs both for and against the bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was harassed walking into the building, and John Lewis, a civil rights leader in the 1960s and current congressman was called a nasty racial epithet.
Perhaps the worst example of name calling wasn’t from citizen protestors, but from inside the House chamber. Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) shouted “baby killer” at Rep. Bart Stupak as he stepped down the Congressional aisle. Stupak is a pro-life Democrat from Michigan’s first district who negotiated the tricky subject of abortion relating to the health care bill.
Under the provisions accomplished by Stupak, Obama will sign a guarantee that no federal funds will be used to provide abortions. Insurance companies can still choose whether or not to cover abortions in their plans, but federal money will not go toward the procedure. This was a point of contention amongst pro-lifers, but Obama’s agreement doesn’t change anything in the bill or current law, only reinforces it.
Behind all the partisan bickering and fighting, there is a new law of the land. There are some immediate changes to the health care industry, and also some changes that won’t go into effect for a couple years.
Among the changes immediately implemented, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage on the basis of a child’s pre-existing conditions. A patient’s coverage will not be dropped due to these conditions, and the Act ends the practice known as rescission. Rescission is when an insurer ends a patient’s coverage even when they’ve kept their policy current.
The other immediate change is the insurance companies can no longer put a lifetime limit on benefits. Perhaps the most important change for college age kids is that insurers must now cover children of insured parents through age 26, whether or not they’re current students.
In 2014, more changes will take over. Adults will not be dropped for pre-existing conditions. Most individuals and families will be required to have health insurance. Those who meet certain need requirements will be added to Medicare or will be qualified for subsidies to help pay for their insurance.
In today’s money, the requirements for free care would be an individual making $14,400 or less, or a family making $29,327. Individuals and families making more than those limits but less than certain amounts will get help paying their insurance through subsidies.
Also in 2014, wealthy families and individuals who don’t have insurance will be fined $625. Low income people and groups will be exempt from this law. Employers with more than 50 employees will be required to provide insurance, or face a $2,000 fine per employee. By 2020, the prescription drug “doughnut hole” in Medicare will be closed.
Perhaps the least talked about amendments in the bill are the ones covering restaurants and tanning beds. Chain restaurants that have more than 20 locations, such as McDonald’s and Burger King, are now subject to a law that requires calorie information on the menu. When this goes into effect and the exact regulations will be decided by the Food and Drug Administration. Some cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, already have this law.
Health care reform also imposes a 10 percent tax increase on the use of indoor tanning beds. Proponents of the measure cite those who use tanning beds have a significantly increased risk of cancer. According to CNN, lawmakers considered taxing all cosmetic procedures, but settled on only taxing tanning beds.
There are still some revisions to be voted on in the Senate, which are expected to pass quickly- at least in Congressional terms.
MSNBC reported there has been violence this week. Rocks and bricks have been thrown through windows of the offices of Democratic leaders across the country.
There are still protests happening around the country, and within the walls of Congress, there are still debates and arguments. Change never comes easy in this country, and without doubt, there will be debate for years to come.
White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, posted on Twitter shortly after the event.
“Powerful moment when the President described the people he was signing this for and for the millions back in control of their health care,” he said.
“And yes, Mr. Vice-President, you’re right.”
Staff Writer
“This is a big f---ing deal.”
That’s what Vice President Joe Biden said to President Barack Obama before the signing of the health care bill.
He wasn’t wrong. On March 23, Obama signed into law the largest social initiative since Medicare was passed 45 years ago. He signed the bill with 22 pens in front of 200 Democratic lawmakers and White House staffers with a smile on his face.
“This is what change looks like,” Obama said of the bill passing. “That our generation is able to succeed in passing this reform is a testament to the persistence and the character of the American people.”
This day was long in coming. Obama, along with many members of Congress in recent elections, campaigned on the promise of health care reform. His speech before signing the bill was repeatedly interrupted with shouts of excitement from the audience.
Among the witnesses present were Vicki Kennedy, widow of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, and their niece Caroline and son Patrick, who is a member of the House of Representatives. CNN reported that after the bill was signed, the surviving Kennedys walked to Ted’s gravesite and held a small victory party. Ted Kennedy was a tireless proponent of health care reform, and Patrick left a note on his grave. “Dad,” he wrote. “The unfinished work is done.”
Signing the bill into law was the result of many months spent debating, arguing and rewriting. The health care reform bill was the first major issue taken up by the president since his inauguration, and he finally saw his vision come to fruition.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as it's officially named, was passed in the House by a margin of 219 to 212. It was sent to the House of Representatives for approval after being passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve.
The Act will cover 30 to 32 million people who don’t currently have health insurance, including children. It requires most Americans to have health insurance of some kind, and allows 16 million of those people to join Medicare programs.
The process was marred by instances of inappropriate behavior. Protestors filled the streets outside the Capitol Building, chanting and holding up signs both for and against the bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was harassed walking into the building, and John Lewis, a civil rights leader in the 1960s and current congressman was called a nasty racial epithet.
Perhaps the worst example of name calling wasn’t from citizen protestors, but from inside the House chamber. Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) shouted “baby killer” at Rep. Bart Stupak as he stepped down the Congressional aisle. Stupak is a pro-life Democrat from Michigan’s first district who negotiated the tricky subject of abortion relating to the health care bill.
Under the provisions accomplished by Stupak, Obama will sign a guarantee that no federal funds will be used to provide abortions. Insurance companies can still choose whether or not to cover abortions in their plans, but federal money will not go toward the procedure. This was a point of contention amongst pro-lifers, but Obama’s agreement doesn’t change anything in the bill or current law, only reinforces it.
Behind all the partisan bickering and fighting, there is a new law of the land. There are some immediate changes to the health care industry, and also some changes that won’t go into effect for a couple years.
Among the changes immediately implemented, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage on the basis of a child’s pre-existing conditions. A patient’s coverage will not be dropped due to these conditions, and the Act ends the practice known as rescission. Rescission is when an insurer ends a patient’s coverage even when they’ve kept their policy current.
The other immediate change is the insurance companies can no longer put a lifetime limit on benefits. Perhaps the most important change for college age kids is that insurers must now cover children of insured parents through age 26, whether or not they’re current students.
In 2014, more changes will take over. Adults will not be dropped for pre-existing conditions. Most individuals and families will be required to have health insurance. Those who meet certain need requirements will be added to Medicare or will be qualified for subsidies to help pay for their insurance.
In today’s money, the requirements for free care would be an individual making $14,400 or less, or a family making $29,327. Individuals and families making more than those limits but less than certain amounts will get help paying their insurance through subsidies.
Also in 2014, wealthy families and individuals who don’t have insurance will be fined $625. Low income people and groups will be exempt from this law. Employers with more than 50 employees will be required to provide insurance, or face a $2,000 fine per employee. By 2020, the prescription drug “doughnut hole” in Medicare will be closed.
Perhaps the least talked about amendments in the bill are the ones covering restaurants and tanning beds. Chain restaurants that have more than 20 locations, such as McDonald’s and Burger King, are now subject to a law that requires calorie information on the menu. When this goes into effect and the exact regulations will be decided by the Food and Drug Administration. Some cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, already have this law.
Health care reform also imposes a 10 percent tax increase on the use of indoor tanning beds. Proponents of the measure cite those who use tanning beds have a significantly increased risk of cancer. According to CNN, lawmakers considered taxing all cosmetic procedures, but settled on only taxing tanning beds.
There are still some revisions to be voted on in the Senate, which are expected to pass quickly- at least in Congressional terms.
MSNBC reported there has been violence this week. Rocks and bricks have been thrown through windows of the offices of Democratic leaders across the country.
There are still protests happening around the country, and within the walls of Congress, there are still debates and arguments. Change never comes easy in this country, and without doubt, there will be debate for years to come.
White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, posted on Twitter shortly after the event.
“Powerful moment when the President described the people he was signing this for and for the millions back in control of their health care,” he said.
“And yes, Mr. Vice-President, you’re right.”
Fantastic article. Very informative and well written.