Late last night, the House approved by a narrow margin of 219 to 212 sweeping changes to the nation's health system. It was the final showdown of a long, bloody battle--one that sharply divided Congress, and even the nation. But the conversation about health care reform has really only just begun, as we implement the reform, witness its impact and build upon its foundation.
In anticipation of Sunday's vote, YPNation contributor Ryan Lynch, 28, and a consultant at the non-profit Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse, asked of the YPNation team what they thought the impact of the insurance mandate would be.
American children who have health insurance through their family plan will be able to stay on as dependents until their 26th birthday, under the expansion of the health care bill.
As with any bill jerked around for half a year in the democratic process and packed with side-deals, last week's momentous health care legislation has its perks and its flaws. There's still no public option, but recent college graduates will soon be able to ride their parents' insurance until they turn 27. Meanwhile, the pro-choice movement made no headway when it comes to a woman's right to have an abortion--if anything, they lost ground.
Last Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the Recovery Act, also known as the "stimulus." In the midst of the political gridlock that has stalled health care reform, it is easy to forget that President Obama started off his term with what undeniably was a major legislative accomplishment. In fact, the Recovery Act was one of the largest progressive achievements of our time, and one wonders whether Obama would still be considered ineffectual if it had been broken down into smaller pieces and passed individually throughout last year, rather than all at once. The media, after all, has a very short attention span, and tends to forget success quite easily.
With a growing chorus of support for the establishment of an independent budget commission, I thought it wise to weigh in. But before we get to the budget commission itself, let's first discuss the underlying policy issue: deficits.
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