President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law nearly 11 years ago to the day. Now more than a decade later, Obamacare didn’t just help more than 20 million people get health insurance, it fundamentally changed the kind of health care Americans get.
The law also galvanized Republicans in opposition to Obama, and helped give birth to the Tea Party movement. It led to Obama’s record losses in the 2010 midterms, and helped former President Donald Trump win support among conservatives who despised the law.
But it also cost Republicans politically too because they failed to make good on their years-long promise of repeal. And it helped Democrats win back a majority in the House in 2018.
Huffington Post reporter Jonathan Cohn’s new book tells the story of Obamacare, from the first discussions among Democrats to the latest Supreme Court battle. The book is “The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage.”