Obama's Affordable Care Act turns 3

One of President Barack Obama’s most controversial and potentially influential pieces of legislation turned three years old this past weekend.

The Affordable Care Act aimed to reform the health care system in the United States, hoping to make health coverage affordable for all Americans and to protect consumers from abusive company practices, according to the White House’s website.

According to the White House website, a total of 89,096 Hoosier senior citizens have saved an average of $648.02 in savings per person in 2011. In addition, 1,160,000 Hoosiers and 736,054 seniors receive Medicare for free. However, the Congressional Budget Office reported that the Affordable Care Act will increase individual health insurance premiums by $2,100 per Hoosier family, according to a press release from the office of Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind.

Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law March 23, 2010, just more than three years ago.

Since then, the law has undergone several votes in the House of Representatives and Senate concerning amendments and funding.

Commonly known as “Obamacare,” the law has generated a lot of discussion among the public and within Congress in its short existence. This past weekend, on the third anniversary, Coats spoke out about the law.

“I remain committed to repealing this disastrous law and replacing it with a health care system that puts patients first, increases the quality of care and decreases costs,” Coats said in a press release. “In addition to supporting a full repeal, I will keep fighting to strip away harmful provisions and job-destroying mandates and taxes in Obamacare.”

Coats supports a full repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., has supported the implementation of the bill.

In March 2010, Donnelly, then a member of the House, voted for the Affordable Care Act in a 219-212 vote in the House.

In January 2011, Donnelly, still a representative, voted against repealing the health care bill. In early February 2011, Coats voted for the repeal in the Senate vote.

The law is set to be fully implemented by 2014. In January 2014, a number of new patient patient protections will be put into place. Insurance companies will be banned from prohibiting anyone from coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Companies also will not be able to charge more for gender or health status.

— Bridget Ameche