Obama’s Re-election

Obama’s reelection.

This November, President Barak Obama will be seeking to be reelected to office, as the American people once again

 take to the polls. Based on three main areas, health care, the economy and his foreign policy, this article reviews obama’s last three  years in office, and assesses his chances of returning to the white house on the basis of his performance.

Health care reform

Obama started his health care reform as soon as he took over from president Bush, a key campaign promise of his. He aimed at expanding health coverage to include Americans of lower income status, such as the elderly, those out of work, and those likely to be dropped or denied insurance because they had preexisting medical conditions. Obama’s reform plans would also include a public option, government sponsored insurance that would compete with private insurance companies (Karen Tumulty, 2010, time.com).

Controversy, the republicans on health care.

Obama’s new proposals faced huge opposition from house republicans, to the extent that when a bill along his proposed health reform came up for a vote, no single republican voted in favor, and when it went to the senet, it was significantly altered to exclude the public option, before it could go back to the house and finally to the president for signing. What fuelled this opposition from the republicans included clauses in the bill that mandated all Americans to have health insurance  from 2014 or pay a fine, perceptions that the bill would shift costs of health on to younger, healthier people, some republicans even argued that the bill was unconstitutional. Opponents of the bill also site a study concluded by rand in 1982 which according to them shows that increasing health cover, has no impact on health, except that it allows more people to use health care. However, the  study summary by rand it self shows that four out of the 30 conditions studied did actually improve, as a result of the free health care plans, particularly in hypertension, vision, and  dental care (http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9174/index1.html).

Controversy, the democrats on health care

Democrats have argued however, that it is the responsibility of the government to provide health care for all citizens, and that the bill now law fulfills this. they argue also that the bill makes insurers more accountable, and that  it enables small businesses to afford health insurance for their employees. Studies conducted by the Harvard law school, Cambridge hospital, and the university of Ohio, show that 62% out of all personal bankruptcies in 2007 in America were medical care related. Other studies have also pointed to excess deaths in America being the result of health insurance. (see Wikipedia, health care reform  in the united states)