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‘republicans’

This afternoon, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted 245 to 189 to repeal the Affordable Care Act (also known as the health care bill from last year). Three Democrats joined all Republicans to vote for repeal. You can see the tally here. (Worth noting: the legislation isn’t likely to go anywhere. The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate isn’t going to bring the bill up for a vote.)

The Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), signed into law last March, may just win the “Bill with the Most Names” award. Republicans dubbed the bill the “job-killing” – then just “job-crushing” after the events in Tucson – health care act, “ObamaCare,” and their proposed repeal the “Reform Americans Can Afford Act.” Democrats have branded repeal efforts as the “Patient’s Rights Repeal Act.”

The repeal of the health care reform bill was a major campaign promise for Republicans, and one they took a step closer to today with the vote in the U.S. House. They believe the health care reform will slow economic growth, increase the deficit and decrease job growth.  The GOP has a summary of their proposed “repeal and replace” plan on their website.

The original passage of the bill was a major achievement for the President and fellow Democrats, who believe the reforms will keep down health care costs, decrease the deficit and create jobs.  Supporters of the current health care reform law cite a report recently released by the CBO that states repeal of the bill would increase the deficit by nearly $230 billion over the next decade.

As dizzying as the back and forth between parties may seem, it’s important to understand how some of the law’s provisions (either repealed or implemented) will affect young people.

Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs held a conference call for college journalists to sell the effects of health care reform on young adults. Gibbs opened the call by outlining the specific provisions that concern young adults.  Here’s a recap:

1. Young adults can stay on their parent’s health care plan until they are 26 if their employer does not offer them health care.  Before the ACA, most insurance companies removed children from parent’s plans at 19.  In 2014, all young adults will be able to stay on their parent’s health care even if their employer offers health care benefits.
2. The law ends discrimination against those under the age of 65 with pre-existing conditions.  Gibbs cited a report released by the HHS that states 129 million Americans under the age of 65 have pre-existing conditions that may disqualify them from receiving insurance without the reform bill.  In 2014, the law will prohibit denial of insurance based on pre-existing conditions for all age groups.
3. The new law helps create jobs.  Gibbs stated that since the law’s implementation, over 1 million private sector jobs have been created.  He estimated that the without the law, 250,000 to 400,000 jobs will be lost each year.

To get a better idea of the major provisions in the reform bill, check out this timeline.

Gibbs echoed a sentiment expressed earlier this week that the Democrats were excited to have a second chance to explain health care reform to the American people. He also stated that though the parties may not agree on how to reform this country’s health care system, the leaders should use the current bill as a foundation and build on it rather than taking steps backwards and repealing the entire bill.

Despite the overwhelming vote today, former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN) disagreed with his party’s efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He argued that health care reform is now the “law of the land” and, as such, Republicans should drop the repeal and build on the current law, echoing Gibbs’s idea of last year’s bill as a foundation for health care reform in this country.

Despite the revival of the health care debate, voters neither support nor oppose the current bill in an overwhelming majority. Polls indicate that some voters love the reforms, some hate them, but the majority of Americans fall somewhere in the middle.  About half the country trusts President Obama with health care reforms, while the other half trust the Republican party.  Experts, meanwhile, have cast doubt on the job killing-ness (or crushing-ness) of bill. The debate rages on.

Do you support the Affordable Care Act or do you want it repealed? Comment below and let us know!