The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) came into force in the USA in June 2012 to regulate health insurance and curtail some of the worst practices engaged in by the for profit health care industry. The aim was to make affordable health care available to more Americans. This included establishing minimum standards for health insurance, and better regulation of insurance companies such as stopping them charging more according to gender or health status, or refusing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. In October 2013 Republicans blocked funding of the federal government unless there was a delay in the implementation of Obamacare. The US was brought to a standstill for 2 weeks in an attempt to blackmail the Democrat government into dropping or at least delaying Obamacare. Whilst the tactics did not work and a budget was agreed, the bigger issue remains unresolved…………Click here to read the full blog post on the Cost of Living website.
