The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.
Colloquially known as Obamacare, it was a landmark federal law that was the most significant expansion of health care in America since the creation of Medicaid and Medicare in 1963.
The political battle was intense, and people frequently took to the streets with protests and counter-protests. Those who supported conservative opposition to the law spread disinformation about what Obamacare would do, including claims that there would be "death panels" and the spread of socialism.
In many ways the disinformation war over the ACA set up a template for future political conflicts to be waged in social media, including the pro-Trump "Clinton emails" campaign.
After the passage and signing of the ACA the fight by the right wing didn't stop. Lawsuits were filed by Republican states. There were Supreme Court challenges. Republican led states, like Texas, refused to expand Medicaid to help their citizens without healthcare.
But those legal challenges failed, and Obamacare still stands.
Furthermore, political efforts to overturn the ACA turned into conservative humiliations. Even after Trump ran for president in 2016 with the promise to repeal Obamacare, the landmark legislation was left standing.
What are the lessons to be learned from the political battles over the passage of Obamacare?
Could it be the model for passing other progressive legislation?
Guest:
Philip Rocco, Ph.D. Co-author of Obamacare Wars: Federalism, State Politics, and the Affordable Care Act. He is Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Political Science at Marquette University
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*This interview will be recorded on Thursday, April 20.
