Assignment Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Running Head: AFFORDABLE CARE ACT 1
Affordable Care Act
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
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Affordable Care Act
With the soaring cost of health insurance mainly for the poor Americans who live hand to
mouth, the Obama administration had to find a way to cushion them. President Barrack Obama
had to move with speed to develop health policy that will reduce the cost of health insurance and
improve health care access for the uninsured. The ACA today has managed to withstand the
criticism of President Trump, who has so far failed to offer the best alternative. President Obama
considers ACA, commonly known as Obamacare, as a milestone in his eight-year presidency.
The Affordable Care Act is a health care issue that will continue to influence governance and
voting in the USA until it is repealing.
The ACA originated from the executive arm of government.
Executive carries out the law
This arm of government is the one that carries out laws and is made up of the president,
vice president, and cabinet. The U.S. Constitution divides the federal government into three
branches, that is, executive, legislative arm, and the judicial branch (Sobel, 2019). The legislative
arm makes laws, while the judicial one assesses and interprets laws. Given this structure of
government, the executive which is headed by the president, carries out laws. The president, with
his team of professionals, developed a policy that addresses critical issues of concern to the
public. The ACA originated from the executive headed by President Obama.
Executive’s responsibility to citizens
President Obama felt that he had the responsibility to deliver health insurance that will
ensure even the most vulnerable in society can afford it. According to Gluck & Huberfeld

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT 3
(2018), the ACA provided a window into modern American federalism. It is also offered a
window into modern American nationalism. The ACA was implemented through a national
structure that pulled together with states to implement it.
The ACA is involved in the balances and checks through oversight.
This policy was the brainchild of the Obama administration. The legislative arm is made
up of congress and Senate, which put this policy to debate and vote. If these two bodies pass the
policy, the president then signs it into law. The U.S. Congress and the Senate are involved in
policymaking due to their oversight role. The executive does not just come up with policies, and
they become law. Besides, the judiciary was equally involved in interpreting some aspects of the
law regarding the ACA. According to Rubin (2011), after the passage of the Act, some states
went into court to overturn some sections of its sections. Also, some lawmakers proposed
amendments that would alter some parts of ACA in favor of their states. Checks and balances
mostly work in a democracy like the United States. Therefore, the fact that legislators and some
states filed lawsuits raises a fundamental role of checks and balances in the implementation of
Obamacare.
Involvement of all three arms of government
When the judiciary, legislature, and executive are involved in policy-making where those
that feel unsatisfied can seek reprieve perhaps in the judicial system, it underscores the role of
checks and balances. Principally, all the three arms of government were involved in one way to
improve the ACA, so that the executive does not merely impose it on people. The opposition to
portions of the Affordable Care Act by legislators may be politically-motivated, but it still
approves the application of the principle of checks and balances.