PureChaos said:
I was on Failblog just now for my daily giggle and there were a lot of things on there relating to Obamacare but, being from the UK, I've not heard anything about it. It seems to be a subject of a lot of debate whether or not it is a good idea but...what is it?
Currently healthcare in the United States is mostly privatized via insurance companies. While there are programs like Medicare and Medicaid that are supported by the government and taxes, there are restrictions on both payout levels and who is eligible for Medicare/Medicaid (for instance - full-time students in college are not eligible).
What Obamacare (a term originally used by Republicans [conservative party] to tie the President to the Bill since they thought it would be unpopular) does - the version that the Supreme Court has upheld, at least - is a lot of things.
It requires that everybody in the United States purchase health insurance (from private companies) or pay a fine/tax (of which there are many exemptions if you are unable to afford the tax).
It requires private insurance companies to issue rebates and repay its customers if too much of its capital is going towards executive pay or marketing.
It requires that any raise of more than 10% of Premiums (what an individual pays per month for private insurance) over a year be reviewed by the Government watchdog organization to determine if the increase is financially justified.
It provides more funding for Medicare and Medicaid.
It prevents private insurance companies from denying health insurance coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, and children with pre-existing conditions (pre-existing conditions being if you have taken medication or seen a doctor more than once for the same illness in the last year, usually).
It extends the age that parents can cover their children on a family plan up from 22 to 26.
There is more to it, but those are the big points.
What's ironic is that people very broadly support each individual tenet of Obamacare, but thanks to a very strong 'marketing' push last year by Republicans (including the 'Obamacare' monicker), most people somehow dislike "Obamacare" but love what it does when dissociated from the word.
