LAUSR

Health care has been an ongoing issue of public concern for decades, well before President Obama took office. Passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, in March 2010 and upheld by a Supreme Court in June 2012 focused increased attention on issues such as access and cost. During this time both public and political attention was dedicated—some would say absorbed— by the need for health care reform, either by modification, repeal, and/or replacement of Obamacare. Not surprisingly, response to the ACA has largely followed party lines, with some Democrats either embracing the law or pushing for changes to strengthen the ACA and Republicans reminding voters that they have voted over 60 times to abolish, undo, overhaul, or tweak the law since they took control of the House in 2011. With Republicans now in control of both the House and Senate as well as the presidency, the ACA in its current form will likely be repealed with something not yet known even to those who were elected vowing to repeal it and replace it with something better.