Obamacare / Health Care Laws

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Is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) good for America?

In March 2010, the US Congress passed HR 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and HR 4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. President Barack Obama signed them both into law, along with Executive Order 13535 restricting federal funds from being used for abortion services. On Thursday June 28, 2012 the US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the PPACA in a 5-4 ruling.

Proponents of the health care legislation have called it a "historic victory" and "landmark legislation" that reforms the US health care system by reigning in health care costs, making health care affordable, and protecting consumers from unfair insurance practices. They say the law will reduce the nation's deficit by more than $100 billion by 2020 and by $1 trillion by 2030.

Opponents have called it a "socialist" and "unconstitutional" government takeover of the health care system that will increase the cost of health care and decrease the quality. They say the law will cost more than $2.5 trillion over 10 years and drive the US deeper into debt. Several congressional representatives and special interest groups have initiated attempts to repeal HR 3590. Read more...

On Mar. 27, 2012, we updated the core question to include the term "Obamacare" because that label has become widely used to reference the Mar. 2010 health care reform laws by both critics of the health care changes and proponents, including the Obama administration itself.

ProCon.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit website that presents facts, studies, and pro and con statements on diverse issues including the Mar. 2010 health care laws (Obamacare). Many of the questions below are debated with pro and con responses. However, several of the questions are not debated and contain only pros or only cons. For these questions we have provided an Editor's Note in the empty column explaining that we have been unable to find an opposing viewpoint on these specific questions.

Pros & Cons by Category

CORE QUESTION

Is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) good for America?

Abortion

Does Obamacare fund abortion services for cases other than rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother? - DEBATED

Bankruptcy

Will people no longer be at risk of medical bankruptcy? – DEBATED

Birth Control

Does Obamacare require health insurers to cover birth control? - YES

Congress

Under Obamacare, are members of Congress required to choose from the same set of available health insurance plans as everyone else? – YES

Constitutionality

Is Obamacare substantially constitutional? – YES

Costs

Will Obamacare raise insurance premiums? – DEBATED

Will the government help people who cannot afford mandatory health insurance? – YES

Are there taxes, penalties, or fines for most individuals who do not have health insurance? – YES

Are there penalties for small businesses (49 or fewer employees) which do not provide insurance for their employees? – NO

Are there taxes, penalties, or fines for large businesses (50 or more employees) which do not provide insurance for their employees? – YES

Deficit

Will the health care reform laws decrease the federal deficit? – DEBATED

Emergency Care

Will fewer people rely on emergency rooms for health care under Obamacare? - DEBATED

Employers

Is Obamacare financially burdensome for businesses? – DEBATED

Will Obamacare lead to a decline in employment-based health insurance? – DEBATED

Does Obamacare create uncertainty for businesses? – DEBATED

Will Obamacare offer funding for workplace health programs? – YES

Health Insurance Exchanges

Will the health insurance exchanges benefit consumers? - DEBATED

Will long term insurance be offered in health insurance exchanges? - NO

Home Care

Does Obamacare provide funding for training additional “at home” care professionals? – YES

Medicare / Medicaid

Does Obamacare do a good thing and save $716 billion in Medicare expenses (pro side) or do a bad thing and cut $716 billion from Medicare (con side)? – DEBATED

Will Obamacare’s cuts to Medicare reduce benefits for Part A (hospital care), Part B (outpatient care), and Medicare Advantage Part C? – DEBATED

Will Obamacare’s cuts to Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) lead to a decrease in patient benefits? – DEBATED

Does Obamacare close the “doughnut hole” in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage [Medicare Part D]? – YES

Will more people be eligible for Medicaid under Obamacare? – YES

Does Obamacare’s Independent Patient Advisory Board (IPAB) ration Medicare or create “death panels”? – DEBATED

Will the quality of care from public health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid improve? – DEBATED

Will Medicare reduce reimbursements to hospitals with high 30-day readmission rates (“preventable readmissions”)? - YES

Health Insurance Mandate

Are there any exemptions to the mandatory health insurance requirement? – YES

Insurance Coverage

Does Obamacare allow people to keep their current coverage? - DEBATED

Does Obamacare cover children with pre-existing conditions? – YES

Can adults get health insurance coverage under Obamacare despite having a pre-existing condition? - YES

Under Obamacare, can insurance companies cancel coverage if a person gets sick? – NO

Can children up to age 26 remain on their parent’s health insurance? – YES

Does Obamacare require that retiree health plans cover children up to age 26? – NO

Will lifetime or annual limits on health insurance coverage be eliminated? – YES

Does Obamacare require insurers to offer coverage for treatment of mental illness? – YES

Will Obamacare require insurers to offer coverage for substance abuse? – YES

Does Obamacare include dental coverage for children? – YES

Does Obamacare include dental coverage for adults? – NO

Will individuals currently covered by veterans’ health benefits be considered covered under Obamacare? – YES

Will Obamacare cover alternative medicine? – DEBATED

Does Obamacare require insurance plans to have a minimum basic coverage level? – YES

Will Obamacare require health insurers to present health insurance information in clear and easily understandable terms? – YES

Does Obamacare apply to health plans offered by colleges and universities? – YES

Will Obamacare result in fewer people with health care insurance? – DEBATED

Does Obamacare allow individuals to appeal medical service denials? – YES

Insurance Industry

Does Obamacare encourage health insurance competition? – DEBATED

Does Obamacare restrict insurance companies' profits? – YES

Under Obamacare, are insurance companies still exempt from federal antitrust laws? – YES

Will Obamacare lead to fewer health insurance agents and brokers (a.k.a. “producers”)? – DEBATED

Physicians

Will Obamacare worsen the primary physician shortage? – DEBATED

Do physicians support Obamacare? - DEBATED

Does Obamacare make any changes to physician payments through Medicare/Medicaid? – YES

Prevention / Welness

Is preventive care covered under Obamacare? – YES

Privacy

Does Obamacare ensure that patient medical data will be protected? - DEBATED

Second Amendment

Does Obamacare contain provisions related to the Second Amendment and gun ownership? - YES

Socialism

Is Obamacare a socialist law? – DEBATED

Taxes

Will Obamacare raise any federal taxes? – YES

Does Obamacare contain a new tax on “unearned income”, including some real estate sales, for individuals with an adjusted gross income of $200,000 or more? – YES

Tort Reform / Medical Malpractice

Does Obamacare reform medical malpractice (tort reform) law? – NO

Does Obamacare add new tools to help fight health care fraud? – YES

Unauthorized Immigrants

Are unauthorized (“illegal”) immigrants covered by Obamacare? - NO

Share your thoughts on obamacare and health care reform and read, vote on, and reply to existing comments. Join the debate.

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Last updated on 5/8/2013 3:34:57 PM PST