Len Nichols quoted in Associated Press Article
Presentations Wednesday, April 9th, 20147M enrolled doesn’t guarantee health law’s success
WASHINGTON (AP) — By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press | April 5, 2014 | Updated: April 7, 2014 5:44am
Seven million people signed up, so there is an appetite for President Barack Obama’s health care law, but that doesn’t guarantee success for the country’s newest social program Republican opponents of the law keep pushing for a repeal, but as millions of people obtain insurance, how long can the party’s strategy remain a politically viable option? The source of the pent-up demand that propelled health care sign-ups beyond expectations could stem from the nation’s new economic reality: a shrinking middle class and many working people treading water in low-paying jobs. With fewer jobs these days that provide health benefits, there was an opening for a government program to subsidize private insurance. When Medicare and Medicaid were created in the 1960s, policymakers took it for granted that people working steady jobs would have access to health care, said Len Nichols, director of the health policy center at George Mason University in Virginia. [...]
