Former President Barack Obama’s joyous return to the White House marked an occasion many never expected to see: the 12th anniversary of his signature presidential achievement, the Affordable Care Act.
After all, public sentiment was mixed at best when the groundbreaking law guaranteeing Americans health insurance coverage passed in 2010 without a single Republican vote. Then, the GOP spent years trying to “repeal and replace” it, climaxing with its failure during Donald Trump’s presidency to do neither.
Now, the measure that foes derided -- but advocates now acclaim -- as Obamacare is thriving. It provides more than 14 million Americans with their health care coverage, and 38 states have used the provision to expand Medicaid to cover another 15 million lower-income families. The portion of the public that supports the system has risen into the upper 50s.
