It was an issue in President Bill Clinton’s campaign against President George H.W. Bush, and while the stagnant economy in 1992 was the key reason why Clinton was elected, health care reform was still part of the agenda. Then First Lady Hillary Clinton was in charge of the reform, and she failed to accomplish anything. The issue then took a back seat to more pressing concerns, and did not resurface as a major theme of a campaign until President Barrack Obama was elected in 2008.

Despite the fact that, as with President Clinton, the troubled economy was the main reason for Obama’s election, the Democrat President and the Democrat controlled Congress took on the job of reforming health care. In March of 2010, they succeeded where Hillary Clinton did not–health care reform became law.

It was a controversial law, as not one Republican voted in favor of it. It is widely suspected that most Members of Congress did not even read the bill before passing it into law. It appeared as if it was passed to give the President a legislative victory to take away from the fact that the U.S. economy was still in trouble over two years since he took office. Politics was certainly a factor, as the Democrats knew they were in danger of losing at least one House of Congress in the 2010 election, and wanted to pass it before that occurred.

The Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in the election of 2010 and as soon as they were sworn in to office, the House voted to repeal health care reform. It was a ceremonial gesture, as the Senate was still controlled by the Democrats, and the bill died. Still, it demonstrated the concern that millions of Americans still have with health care reform.

The plan is not designed to be fully implemented until after the 2012 Presidential election, to safeguard its supporters from taking any political heat should it prove to be a failure. The bill mandates that Americans must buy health insurance or face a penalty for not doing so, and that insurance companies can not refuse coverage to any one with a pre-existing condition.

Despite promises that the cost of health insurance would be reduced by the President, the opposite has already proven to be true, as people have seen premiums rise significantly since the legislation was passed. Additionally, the aspect of the bill mandating that all Americans purchase health insurance has already been ruled as unconstitutional by lower courts and the US Supreme Court will make the ultimate decision on that issue.

Low-income families are going to get more help. In fact, medicaid is being expanded to cover additional families. Health care reform will also affect people who do not have insurance. The reform has made it a law for citizens to have health insurance. Starting in 2014, people will pay a penalty if they fail to purchase coverage. However, people in the lowest-income bracket are exempt from this requirement. The government will provide subsidies to make it more affordable for families that are above the federal poverty level.

The new health care reform will also affect employers. For instance, employers will have to pay a fine if they do not provide their workers with insurance coverage. Smaller businesses will be given tax credits to help buy insurance.

Health Care Reform will have a set standard for the maximum payout for person. This means that you’ll pay a bit more depending on the type of service, and a lot of places you work for will help pay the rest of the insurance. Another thing about this health care reform is more emphasis is on those with pre-existing conditions. A lot of hospitals would not check those with pre-existing conditions. However, now it’s mandatory to check those with asthmas and the like as a requirement. They cannot be denied service. Additionally, health insurance companies cannot put these people that need aid on a waiting list as they are given more priority now.

For more common things such as annual checkups and immunizations, insurance companies take care of that with no additional costs like co-payments for these particular activities. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is effective until January 1, 2018.

Reforms brought about health care between 1960 ” 1965, such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as and a health insurance program for children, yet it still has not been enough for the majority who lack health insurance. In 2010, the PPACA (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) and the HCERA (Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010) were signed and became into effect; however, the provisions are to take effect slowly over a number of years.

There are several conditions within the agreement that have the majority of the American people calling for reform again, due to the amount of coverage available today, which most feel is inadequate, plus the fact that the latest reform will take several years to be fully effective.