Much is publicized these days about rate increases and policies that cover this procedure, but not that medication. Similar things were experienced before the Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare became law, but supporters of the legislation say the ACA was going to make things better. And now that the Supreme Court has upheld federal subsidies for people on the federal health insurance exchange, President Obama has stated that the ACA is here to stay. He has also urged lawmakers to change the conversation about repealing the law and focus instead on improving things.
Hadley Heath Manning, director of health policy at the Independent Women's Forum (IWF), does not see that happening while President Obama is in office.
"I just think the changes that he's willing to make are so minor and so distant from the bigger changes that Republicans would ask for that there is really not going to be a lot of room for middle ground," she comments, "at least not in a way that significantly impacts the consumer experience or significantly changes the way people experience ObamaCare."
Meanwhile, Manning thinks Democrats, including President Obama, are beginning to think about next year's presidential election.
"Whoever the nominee is going to be on the Democratic side is going to have to go to an American public that still does not favor this law and talk about how to change it, how to fix it without repealing it and without making major changes," the health policy director poses. "So, that's the political line that I believe Democrats are trying to walk now. The next candidate for president is going to be someone who I believe will talk to the American people about fixing ObamaCare, but certainly not about changing it in any significant way, because that would be seen as a victory for Republicans."