With the recent Supreme Court Ruling in the States backing Barack Obama’s national health reform policies, it would appear that he should have a lot to celebrate. While that’s true in the confines of the achievement in itself, it’s got the possibility to derail his hopes of a second term in office.
In a nutshell, the ruling confirms that Obama’s healthcare reforms around the introduction of the individual mandate (mandatory healthcare insurance for all) are not unconstitutional. It comes as the most recent thumbs up for a policy change that many liberal American politicians have tried in vain to pass for more than a hundred years.
It’s a policy that is already in place throughout large portions of the world’s developed economies and reinforces Obama’s promise to bring healthcare to everyone in the United States. In the UK the mandate equates to our tax contribution to the government that grants us health insurance and free NHS treatment.
However, despite the significance of the achievement, it could also stand significantly against the President in the coming elections as the reform polarises US voters. The split opinion combined with the recent ruling means that the opposing section of society now know for sure that the only way back is to vote against Obama.
It’s a reality that the Republicans will be pouncing all over to leverage the weight of the opposition to the policies in their favour. Now that Obamacare has had the final seal of Supreme Court approval, it’s time to make things stick by showing signs of improvements to the everyday healthcare needs of US voters. Otherwise, the victory now could result in a far bigger loss for the Democrats come election time.
However, no matter what happens over the next year, Obama’s still the only man in US history to come so close to delivering healthcare for all.
