112th Congress and Health Care Reform

You don’t have to be a political wonk to understand that the actions of Congress will affect your everyday life. One of the most debated topics over the upcoming two years is likely to be the status of health care reform, and it is important that you understand and weigh in on the debate.

You’ve probably heard that one of the first acts of the new 112th Congress was to vote to repeal health care reform. What does this mean for the law that was enacted last year? Well, at the moment, nothing. The current House of Representatives  is only one chamber of Congress. So while the House has passed a repeal, the Senate would also have to pass legislation and the President would have to sign the bill for it to become law. It is unlikely that a bill repealing the law would be signed by President Obama.

But just because it is unlikely, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore the healthcare hubbub!

In fact, many states are challenging the healthcare reform bill within the courts as well. The new majority in the House generally believes that the healthcare law will increase spending and increase taxes.The champions of the health care reform law argue that the law will extend coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans and prevent insurance companies from cutting off treatment.

What do you think? We’d like to hear your opinion. Let us know what you think of the new health care reform law, and join our Advocacy Action Center for updates on issues of importance to cancer prevention and research and to learn more about how to take action!