“Year 1 of health reform: beauty and the beast - msnbc.com” |
| Year 1 of health reform: beauty and the beast - msnbc.com Posted: By MARTIN WISCKOL THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER The Orange County Register The Orange County Register March 23 marks the first anniversary of the health-care reform championed by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. But the measure, officially known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is targeted by congressional Republicans and is being challenged in court by 26 states. The law is to be phased in over the next few years, but its future is far from certain. Is the health-care law constitutional? Twenty six states -- although not California -- have joined in lawsuits, saying the government unconstitutionally exceeded its authority because it requires virtually all Americans to carry health insurance by 2014. Three federal judges have ruled in favor of the law, but two have ruled against it. U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson was the most recent to reject the law, but he also said the states must continue to abide by it while an appeal wends its way through the system. The issue is expected to be ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Obama administration attorneys have argued that health care is part of the interstate commerce system. They say the government can impose a tax penalty on Americans who decide not to purchase health insurance because all Americans are consumers of medical care. Could the health-care law be amended or repealed? It's unlikely to be repealed wholesale as long as Democrats control either the Senate or the White House. However, Republicans are also exploring ways to dismantle the law piece by piece, including withholding money needed to implement parts of it. The measure's success and popularity with the public could determine what amendments are eventually made. Earlier this month, the House voted 314-112 to remove a provision from the bill that seemed to have little to do with health care -- it required small businesses to file tax forms for every vendor who sells them at least $600 worth of goods. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, was one of 76 Democrats in favor of removing the provision. The Senate also approved the change, and Obama has said he'd sign it. Obama has said he'd be willing to work with critics to improve the health care bill, although he wasn't going to re-fight battles of the past. He has talked with governors about ways to reduce state costs associated with the law, including accelerating the timetable for allowing states the option of providing the reforms themselves. Obama has also launched an initiative to reform medical malpractice laws, which have long been a concern of Republicans. Which politicians is the health-care law impacting? Opposition to the law, dubbed ObamaCare by some critics, was a rallying point for Tea Party activists and FoxNews commenters in the 2010 election, which saw Republicans pick up 63 seats in the House of Representatives. House Republicans almost immediately passed a bill to repeal the law, although Senate opposition rendered it a symbolic gesture. Republicans hope they can again use opposition to the law to help their campaigns in 2012, when 23 Democratic Senate seats (and 10 Republican seats) are on the ballot. Democratic strategists have urged the party to do a better job selling the law to the public. In the Republican primary for president, early frontrunner Mitt Romney has been fending off attacks over a similar law he championed in Massachusetts. A Bloomberg poll this month found that among American adults, the jury is still out: 41 percent said it should be repealed, 42 percent said we should see how it works, and 12 percent said it should be left alone. But 65 percent opposed the part of the bill that mandates virtually everyone have health insurance. How much will the health-care law cost taxpayers? The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has reported that there would be a net savings to the federal budget. "(The law) will produce a net reduction in federal deficits of $143 billion over the 2010-2019 period," according to the CBO analysis. "About $124 billion of that savings stems from provisions dealing with health care and federal revenues; the other $19 billion results from the education provisions." However, the CBO notes that there could be $60 billion or more in future discretionary spending by Congress related to the law. Critics argue the law will harm Medicare and raises taxes and fees that will burden the economy. They sharply dispute the CBO estimate that deficits will fall once the bill takes effect, arguing that the forecasts rest on spending cuts to Medicare and other programs that will not materialize. The Associated Press and McClatchy news services contributed to this report. Contact the writer: mwisckol@ocregister.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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