President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 20, 2010. Prior to this mandate, individuals with pre-existing conditions were often unable to attain health care coverage. Controversy surrounded health care reform long before the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.
While President Clinton’s administration failed to overhaul our nation’s health care system in 1993 with the Health Security Act, the Affordable Care Act was the most sweeping national reform since President Lyndon Johnson’s Social Security Amendments Act created Medicare and Medicaid. Although this law has faced fierce opposition, the Affordable Care Act will help Americans lead healthier lifestyles, while increasing their financial stability. Under the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, insurance companies are no longer allowed to discriminate against individuals with pre-existing health conditions. Uninsured children with pre-existing conditions, such as cancer or diabetes, are now able to access health insurance plans.
Not only are insurance companies now unable to reject health insurance plans for children hampered with pre-existing conditions, it is no longer legal for insurers to deny coverage to adults based on their medical history. Before Congress had passed this law, insurance companies were able to charge different prices for health insurance based on the gender or health status of an individual. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as of 2014, made it possible for every citizen to achieve health coverage, regardless of any previous medical condition (WebMD). ObamaCare has also outlawed annual and lifetime limits that were often used by insurance companies as justification for. . 3/09/23/not-affordable-care-act-avik-roy-editorials-debates/2858175/>.
“Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration. ” New National Strategy Paves Way for Reducing Suicide Deaths. Substances Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 10 Sept. 2012. Web.
16 Apr. 2014. <http://www. samhsa. gov/newsroom/advisories/1209102435.
aspx>. Walsh, Michael. “U. S.
Vets Commit Suicide at Alarming Rate: VA Study. ” NY Daily News. NY Daily News, 2 Feb. 2013.
Web. 16 Apr. 2014. <http://www. nydailynews.
com/news/national/u-s-vets-commit-suicide-alarming-rate-study-article-1. 1253900>. Walton, Alice G. “Why More Americans Suffer From Mental Disorders Than Anyone Else. ” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 04 Oct.
2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/why-more-americans-suffer-from-mental-disorders-than-anyone-else/246035/#slide3>.
