Barack Obama Observes Healthcare Reform Anniversary
Former president marks 13 years since he signed Affordable Care Act into law
Former president Barack Obama observed Thursday the anniversary of the day that he signed his signature healthcare reform legislation into law.
It's been 13 years since the Democrat signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as “Obamacare.”
Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 amendment, it represents the U.S. healthcare system's most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of coverage since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.
Passing the legislation became a Herculean task and consumed much of Obama's first two years in office.
The former president looked back at that day in 2010 with an email to supporters.
“The night the ACA passed was one of the most meaningful moments of my career, because we knew the ACA would have a profound impact on the lives of millions of people,” the nation's 44th president wrote. “Over a decade later, the law that became known as ‘ObamaCare’ is still expanding and helping more Americans access quality, affordable health care.
“Since 2010, the ACA has provided nearly 36 million Americans access to health care, expanded Medicaid to 40 states to cover 21 million low-income adults under 65, and protected as many as 133 million people with pre-existing conditions from losing their health insurance,” Obama added.
The ACA continues to stand as the law of the land, surviving challenges at the US Supreme Court as well as dozens of failed attempts by congressional Republicans to repeat it.
As part of celebrating Obamacare's anniversary, Obama said that his post-presidential foundation is collecting stories from those who the law helped over the years.
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