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()**+)",' 3' Obamacare: Demise of the Working Class American

The health-care reform legislation signed into law by President Obama on March 23 marked the biggest attempt to expand access to health care since Medicare and Medicaid were launched in the 1960s. The massive legislation will help thirty-two million Americans get health insurance coverage and bans insurers from denying coverage to those with preexisting illnesses. It also expands Medicaid to all poor people except illegal immigrants and gives subsidies to low- and low-middle-income people to buy insurance (Clemmitt) The first article by Marcia Clemmitt was written in June of 2010, she wrote this article to provide much needed information about the Affordable Care Act to the American people. She provides compelling evidence of the issues with the new health care law, explaining the detrimental effects it may have on the small businesses along with increasing the federal deficit. Coverage expansion is simply too expensive, at a price tag of about $1 trillion over 10 years. They also say new fees and taxes to help pay for the coverage place too big a burden on currently insured people (Clemmit) The second article by Andrew Walter written in January of 2013, starts off by showing the potential readers what the health care law does and how it will help the American people acquire health coverage at an affordable cost. As of 2010, approximately fifteen percent of Americans lack health insurance. Without coverage, they are likely to be unable to afford basics; such as, prescription medications and annual physical exams, and almost certainly would be unable to pay for any sort of complex medical procedure or surgery. Although one may think that these

()**+)",' 6' people are unemployed, homeless, or otherwise unsuitable for or unable to find gainful employment, that is not necessarily the case. To the contrary, millions of Americans work for employers that do not offer any health coverage, and many cannot afford an oftencostly private health care plan. (Walter) The question that plagues American citizens now is how will this healthcare law effect them, will it be positive or negative for the average working class American. A deep analysis of these articles will surely clear up any questions, and in general help others better understand this new law. The article by Marcia Clemmitt contains the most agreeable content, she provides information on the front end explaining what the Affordable Care Act (A.C.A.), is and as well she writes after the opening introduction what the Act will do to America in the long run. Testimony after testimony towards the end of the article represents concrete evidence on why the A.C.A. is bad for the American people and especially the working class citizens. Charts and tables showing the effects of the law on the American People earning more than $250,000 per year shows a visual representation on the effects of the Healthcare Law by raising the once 1.1 percent tax to 3.2 percent tax. Families with incomes greater than $250,000 will pay a higher Medicare payroll tax up to 2.35 percent, plus a new 3.8 percent tax on interest and dividend income. With this stroke, Democrats have managed to punish both work and the savings of American families. (Pipes) A middle-class family of four making $66,370 will be forced to pay $5,243 per year for insurance, an amount that will leave many without enough discretionary income to cover other bills (Hamsher) These actions by Obamacare are hurting the working class citizens that worked hard to get where they are in society. Middle Class, or high

()**+)",' >' class, these people are Americans that have worked hard in the land of opportunity, to get where they are. Should they be penalized for hard work? Clemmitt clearly reveals her position on the topic for the reason of the lengthy rebuttal to the ACA, which takes up the majority of the article. Andrew Walter, writes the healthcare law provides access to affordable and necessary health insurance options for approximately thirty-two million American citizens lacking medical insurance, thereby fulfilling a natural right of American citizens, without adversely affecting the national deficit or requiring a governmental takeover of health care. (Walter). While his introduction is cookie cutter he does put into retrospect the cost of the ACA on the average American based on their annual income, like an American family making more than $250,000 annually, a 0.9 increase in Medicare hospital insurance and a new 3.8 percent tax on unearned income. (Walter) Walter does not mention that the progressive tax hike on wealthy Americans earning more than $250,000 already burdens these hard working citizens. The author seems to be an advocate of any government policy based on his writing, curving most of his writing to a reader who is politician and not involved with the new Healthcare plan. Marcia Clemmitt by far represents the most informative read for the reason of her ability to write an appealing article curved toward the everyday reader. She provides the necessary information that everyone should know about the new law and how it will affect him or her individually or as a family. Then toward the middle of the first half of the article she starts firing off facts about the downsides of the new law and the effects it will have on the already struggling economy. The articles in whole stress immensely on the importance of the issue to modern American citizens, explaining in both that this new

()**+)",' C' law will affect you in some way. Marcia explains that it will not be positive, while Andrew Walter says otherwise.

()**+)",' D' Work Cited

Clemmitt, Marcia. "Health-Care Reform." CQ Researcher 11 June 2010: 505-28. Web. 9 Feb. 2014. (Clemmitt)

Jane Hamsher, Fact Sheet: The Truth About the Health Care Bill, Firedoglake blog, March 19, 2010 (Hamsher)

Jane Hamsher, Fact Sheet: The Truth About the Health Care Bill, Firedoglake blog, March 19, 2010 (Hamsher)

Sally C. Pipes, Obamacare Wins: Now the Pain Begins, New York Post, March 22, 2010 (Pipes)

Walter, Andrew. "Counterpoint: The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act Fulfills A Natural Right Of All American Citizens." Points Of View: Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (2013): 3. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.