President Obama Signs Health Care Reform Bill
May 11, 2010
Filed under News, Top Stories
Obama signs the Affordable Health Care for America Act in the White House on March 23, 2010. Photo courtesy of www.zimbio.com
By: Leonard Ward
On Tuesday morning March 30th, President Barack Obama signed the health care and education reconciliation bill which is now officially the law of the land. The question that is on our minds now is “How does this affect me?” Some of the students aren’t focused on this historic event and don’t have a clear conception of what the bill does. Government students in Mr. Haddox’s class, however, were given an overview of what the bill is, what it stands for, what it does, who it effects, and how.
This new final copy of the health care reform not only addresses health care in general, but also education and the funding for it. Now the middle men, the banks, are cut out of the equation concerning the payment of student loans.
“It will benefit people with pre- existing conditions because they will be able to get insurance and it will benefit the lower class that cannot afford insurance,”senior Justin Whaley said.
The provisions of the new bill will raise taxes for the middle class and upper class. In effect, the health care cost will be lower and for some even free, with the government programs Medicare and Medicaid.
It is now required for all citizens to have some form of health insurance and it will not be more than 8% of their income.
“I don’t like the government interfering with insurance companies too much because while it gives more people insurance it could lower healthcare standards, and the way people will be forced to buy insurance even if they don’t need it,” Whaley said.
The primary beneficiaries of the health care benefits are people of the lower class who can’t afford health care at all.
“I think the people who don’t have any money and live in the neighborhoods that are low class are the people it will help and who support this the most,” senior Stephanie Sailes said.
However, some of the people who do agree with the idea as a whole feel that some aspects should be different.
“If I could change anything about this act it would be how it actually cost money,” senior Emmanuel Lennix said.
With hope for change, President Barack Obama has delivered to us a new beginning of hope and in his mind he has helped millions of the people of this great nation.
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