Title: A short history of the Affordable Care Act – Obamacare drama
Headings: Affordable Care Act history
Affordable Care Act history
Content: At the 2010 signing, Obama noted that it was a law that “generations of Americans have fought for and marched for and hungered to see.” The final hurdle was cleared in June 2012, when the Supreme Court upheld most provisions of the health care law. ( Read the Supreme Court’s rulings on the Affordable Care Act and justices’ rebuttals.) Twenty-six states and the National Federation of Independent Business had brought suit in federal court challenging the mandate that individuals carry insurance or pay penalties, as well as the expansion of Medicaid. The Supreme Court ruled that states could not be forced into cooperating with the Medicaid expansion, but left most of the other provisions intact. Much of the Obamacare political action came in 2009, the first year of the presidency. On July 14, House Democrats introduced a 1,000-page plan for overhauling the health care system. The debate raged throughout the summer and beyond. “This so-called public option is going to force millions of Americans out of their private health insurance into a government-run plan,” charged House leader John Boehner. On Sept. 9, 2009, Obama addressed critics via a joint session of Congress.