Final

1. Health Care Reform
By Skylar Danehart
and
Susan Haroutunian
Saddleback College

2. Obamacare – Just Another Piece of Legislation
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Signed into law on March 23, 2010
• National focus on health care reform – • U.S. has a long history of legislating
80% of people in U.S. want reform that health care reform going back 100 years
will lower costs and provide better
access. • Many laws: Hill Burton Act,
Medicare/Medicaid, National Health
• All Americans will need health care Insurance Standards Act, EMTLA, COBRA,
services. Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act,
HIPAA, CHIP, Medicare Modernization Act
• U.S. pays over 2 trillion/year on
health care which is 16-18% GDP, more • Many Presidents: Hoover, Roosevelt,
than any other western country Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon,
Carter, Reagan, Clinton, G.W. Bush
• Supreme court affirmed the
constitutionality of the law in 2011 • Most Obamacare changes won’t take
place until January 1, 2014, some
• Obamacare continues to be a source of even later
debate and doubt

3. Pros of Health Care Reform Cons of Health Care Reform
• Increasing access to affordable care • Cuts in Medicare. Benefits will drastically
“Millions of Americans have received access to change and the tax on Medicare
more affordable health care coverage and costs. will be raised.
This includes: coverage for young adults, access
to free preventive services, coverage for people
with pre-existing conditions, investing in • Costs “For the first ten years, it will cost about
primary care and community health centers”. $100 billion/year”. “This bill could increase
the cost of health insurance, but it
• Making care more affordable “80/20 depends on whether or not the gains of
rule, reviewing premium increases and increased efficiencies and
supporting early retirement coverage”. competitions are outweighed
by the additional benefits”.
• Holding Insurance Companies
Accountable “There will not be anymore • Increased taxes “People who have a high
denying children with pre-existing conditions, income and are making about half a million
no more lifetime dollar limits on coverage, dollars/ year will have a tax increase of about
insurance companies cannot drop your coverage 1%. And taxing businesses is another plan. “For
if you are sick and helping consumers example, medical device makers
understand their coverage”. will see a 2.9% excise tax”.
• Laying a foundation for 2014
In 2014, there will be a new competitive health • Individual Mandate “People will either need
insurance industry which will make it easier for to buy health insurance or they will
consumers to compare health plans as well as to automatically have a 2% tax increase. This
get answers, ask questions and to find out can be subsidized, but no guarantees
whether or not one is eligible for tax credits or that it will suffice for your specific situation”.
certain health plans.