Obama administration must quickly correct website to make up for lost approval
By Katlyn Hirowaka
After years of fighting for the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration should have taken more care into making sure that the website and registration process would be fully functional. The Obama administration has also been under fire for misleading the American people by saying that if one liked his or her insurance plan, then that person could keep it. This was apparently not the case, which resulted in a new amendment that extends people’s private insurance plans for a year.
The American people were let down by the government, and these problems came to light shortly after has decreased Americans’ trust for the government after the shutdown. We can already see this through the overestimated registration projections, as only 3 percent of the law’s intended audience has signed up.
CBS News recently reported that because of the problems with the Affordable Care Act, Americans’ approval of the law has dropped to 37 percent in the last month, and Obama’s disapproval rating has increased to 57 percent. The Obama administration needs to act fast in order to gain back the confidence of the public on this law.
There has also been a lack of accountability for who is responsible for these shortcomings, which increased the confusion over the Affordable Care Act. This greatly discouraged citizens from registering. But no matter who is actually at fault for these shortcomings, the success or failure of the law is ultimately a reflection on the Obama administration.
Apologizing to the public will only get the Obama administration so far. If they are going to truly win back the trust of the people, then they need to get the website completely functional and figure out how to let people keep their current insurance plans. Only time will tell how this will affect the administration’s reputation in the long run.
Katlyn Hirowaka is a freshman in the School of Communication.
Affordable Care Act will take time to overcome Republican opposition
By Rathna Muralidharan
For the past three years, the Affordable Care Act has been under fire in both Congress and the general public. After the government shutdown, many assumed that the worst was over. However, now that the law is in effect, the situation remains unresolved. With issues from the website not working to only 3 percent of the intended audience signing up, Obamacare still has a long way to go. As the country continues to adjust to this drastic change in national attitude towards health care, Republicans will continue to fight it every step of the way, using every falter as proof that this law is a mistake.
Like every major social change, it is going to take some time and effort for the country to get used to these new developments. However, if the law is not given time to adjust, then it will fall through.
This is not the first time President Barack Obama has faced this amount of opposition. The Republican resistance to the Affordable Care Act is similar to what his stimulus package faced during the economic recession. The Republicans in Congress are going to continue this opposition, fighting against the law every step of the way. With every setback, their arsenal of reasons for why the Affordable Care Act is disastrous will grow.
This a whole new take on national health care, and it will take some time for Americans to adjust. However, it may not be given the necessary time due to society’s expectations for immediate results.
National health care is an idea many have speculated about but never dared to try until now. Whether the Affordable Care Act becomes a national institution or the Obama administration’s biggest blunder will only be told in time. Obamacare has potential to change the role of government in the United States forever if it is able to reach its full potential.
Rathna Muralidharan is a freshman in the School of International Service.
