Emma Ringstad

Article: “If Obamacare Bombs, States Must Share The Blame” by Ed Kilgore

Main Idea: In the Status quo, doubts about the ACA are increasing, However, due to the Supreme Court’s revision to the act to include a state opt-in for the insurance expansion, some states did not do their job and Obamacare failed. Who is really at blame for the Obamacare?

Application to the chapter: Chapter one on page (18) describes how the state’s power is divided so no one branch can control everything. These checks and balances are essential so a decision can be debated about and provide the best outcome. So when an act backfires, like Obamacare, the blame should be equally shared. The article touches on how most people believed that Obama was responsible for Obamacare however, that is mostly because his name is attached in the name of the act. It shows us that we have to remember that every state action goes through many people’s desks and thus everyone who looks it over, is at fault for not fixing it.

Why should we care?: We should care about what part of the government passes and creates the laws and reforms that we live under and by, because they affect who we want to represent us. If we do not know who passed the reforms that we do not like or the reforms that we do like we won’t know who we want to vote for in elections. If we want our opinions and beliefs to be represented we must know about the people we will choose to support. Research your candidates beliefs and stances on current issues so you can be sure about who you vote for, who you want to represent you.

Question: Do you think that a bad policy or reform is the fault of one person, branch, or the whole government?

Link: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/08/if-obamacare-bombs-states-must-share-the-blame.html