Healthcare access and expenses have been the most significant financial burden for every American family, making them presidential candidates’ and legislative leaders’ top priorities. Expanding health insurance coverage to more individuals is intended to improve access to healthcare. To minimize the cost of health insurance for the millions of uninsured Americans. President Barack Obama signed into law legislation allowing individuals to be eligible for tax credits and cost-sharing reductions. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, became effective in March 2010, allowing 17.6 million individuals to obtain health insurance. In addition, the ACA reduced the uninsured rate to below 10%. Obama’s primary objective was to change people’s perceptions of health care so that it is now viewed as a fundamental human right as opposed to a luxury only available to the affluent (Glied et al., 2020).
Efforts to Repeal/Replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
After its passage, the ACA was subject to numerous legal challenges and attempts to rescind, primarily by Republicans. In January 2016, Congress and the House enacted a plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without a replacement, initiating the process. President Obama Issued the veto. By passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, Congress effectively repealed the individual mandate penalty, a central component of the Affordable Care Act. In 2017, the House adopted two well-known Republican replacement proposals, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), but neither received sufficient support to become law. This was the second attempt to rescind and substitute the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration modified the Affordable Care Act through a series of executive orders, including the expansion of short-term health insurance and the granting of states greater flexibility in implementing the program. In 2020, the United States Supreme had a court hearing challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. In December 2020, the Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate after determining that it was a constitutionally permissible tax (Ross, 2022). According to the congressional budget, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act would cost more than $350 billion by 2027, as estimated by the committee. Its elimination would result in the loss of 1,2 million jobs, the elimination of healthcare for 29,8 million individuals, and an increase in the national healthcare debt (Kysar, 2020).
Voters Views and Policy Implementation
According to a cost-benefit analysis conducted by reelected legislators, repealing and replacing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could take years and cost millions of dollars. Others want to repeal, replace, or repair the Affordable Care Act, whereas others want to keep it in place with minor modifications (Milstead & Short, 2019). If the Affordable Care Act is repealed without being replaced, fewer people will be insured, resulting in higher out-of-pocket expenses. Low-income individuals would endure the most without insurance. The lack of treatment for uninsured individuals may result in a decrease in life expectancy and an increase in the mortality rate (Rose, 2022).
Conclusion
The repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act has been largely ineffective. A lawmaker’s primary objective is to increase their political support and re-election chances. Legislators are elected officials responsible for attempting to elect individuals. Consequently, voters’ views on political issues such as the Affordable Care Act frequently influence their decisions and attitudes (Milstead & Short, 2019. As a result, voter expectations influence legislative leaders’ decisions. However, adjustments to health insurance coverage are necessary, so these issues will remain on politicians’ agendas.