US/healthcare/reform/2009

About

Skyrocketing health insurance costs combined with the 2008 financial meltdown to result in many people suddenly finding themselves unable to afford health insurance.

In response to popular outcry combined with longterm dissatisfaction with the American healthcare system, the Obama-Biden administration began a push for reform in the middle months of 2009.

The proposed plans immediately came under fire from members of the political Right, who have generally become the pawns of well-funded interests of all varieties; in this case, the medical insurance industry was found to be backing many of the protests and Tea Parties".

Reform legislation -- the Affordable Care Act, also commonly referred to as Obamacare -- eventually passed in March, 2010, with absolutely no Republican support -- even though the bill was essentially identical to a Republican proposal, often referred to as "Gingrichcare" or "Romneycare", made during the Clinton-Gore administration as a counter to Clinton's proposed reforms.

The Right has continued to attack Obamacare ever since, almost always with disinformation.

Pages

• /disinfo: disinformation spread during this discussion
• /public option: discussion of the "public option", which was ultimately never placed on the table

Initiatives

• 2009-07-14 US 111 HR 3200 (OpenCongress, THOMAS), "America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009", has the backing of Obama-Biden; more complex, retains option to use existing insurance plans
• 2009-01-26 US 111 HR 676 (THOMAS, United States National Health Care Act [W]) sponsored by John Conyers, Jr. "To provide for comprehensive health insurance coverage for all United States residents, improved health care delivery, and for other purposes." Essentially makes Medicare universal; single-payer plan. Obama-Biden is not backing this bill, as Obama has apparently dropped support for single-payer, and it seems to have dropped off the radar -- which is too bad, because most people who support HR3200 would probably support HR676 even more.
  • FAQ
  • 2013-02-11 Call Congress – Single-Payer Bill to be Reintroduced
  • 2013-02-14 Conyers Reintroduces National Single-Payer Health Care Bill

Links

News

• 2009/11/06 [L..T] Kline: Democrats spend too much, accomplish too little “For months, I've been calling on my Democratic colleagues to press the 'reset' button and embrace commonsense, targeted solutions to strengthen and reform health care. Democrats have instead left Republicans with no alternative but to propose our own plan.”
• 2009/07/06 [L..T] How Long Does it Take to Set Up a Health Co-Op? “Paul Keckley, executive director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, tells Bloomberg that if existing regional co-ops are the model, such plans can take decades to fully develop.”