President Obama is traveling the nation to muster up support for his healthcare plan that gives medical aid to nearly everyone in America. The Chief of Staff recently visited the residents of Maryland, where he told a moving story about a time when Sasha, his youngest daughter, had to be rushed to the hospital.
“I remember the fear Michelle and I felt when Shasha was a few months old and she got meningitis, and we raced to the hospital,” said the president. “They had to give her a spinal tap, and we didn’t know what was wrong and we were terrified. Never felt so scared or helpless in all of my life, but we were fortunate enough to have good health insurance. And I remember looking around that emergency room thinking, ‘What about the parents who aren’t that lucky? What about the parents who get hit with a bill for $20,000 or $30,000? And they’ve got no idea how to pay for it.'”
It is for those millions, who neither have heath insurance nor the resources to pay for medical expenses, that the President and First Lady are pulling for with their new ‘Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act’ (ACA). Under ACA, a.k.a. Obamacare, most Americans who cannot get health insurance, due to job loss or medical history, will receive the coverage necessary to pay for a trip to emergency and preventative care. President Obama’s plan, signed into law in 2010, does not eradicate private insurance but rather provides more protection to consumers by preventing companies from dropping patients because of medical issues or lifestyle choices.
Some portions of Obamacare are already in effect. Other aspects of the Act will take effect next year. President and First Lady Obama have two kids, Sasha and Malia, together.
