Despite radically different views regarding the health care legislation passed on Sunday night, students from across the political spectrum said they were not fully satisfied with the bill.
On Sunday, by a largely party-line vote of 219-212, the House of Representatives passed a sweeping overhaul of the health care system that will extend health care to millions of currently uninsured.
It first passed a bill previously approved by the Senate, and followed up with a “reconciliation” bill amending significant portions. The reconciliation bill is now in the Senate, where majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has promised to schedule a vote as soon as possible. While supporters of the bill are celebrating what they consider a historic accomplishment on the order of Medicare and Social Security, opponents argue that it will cost states too much and unconstitutionally increase the reach of the federal government.
Avi Edelman, CC ’11 and vice president of the Columbia University College Democrats, said that while he was happy that the bill was passed, he felt it was too watered down from the original proposal.
“It’s not a perfect bill by any means, and it’s certainly not the bill that I and [the] College Democrats wanted, but it’s something—it’s a start,” Edelman said.
But Derek Turner, CC ’12 and communications director for the Columbia University College Republicans, said that his group condemns the way the bill was passed and fears the long-term costs of the legislation.
He also said he worries that political discourse between the parties has been hurt by the fierce partisanship surrounding the bill.
“If the biggest piece of legislation in 40 years can be passed without a single Republican vote, what reason do the Democrats have to bother with bipartisanship in the future?” he said, adding that he expects this controversy will hurt the Democrats in the November midterm elections.
Sajaa Ahmed, CC ’10 and general manager of the Columbia Political Union, said she agreed that political discourse had been hurt by this process, and added that the Obama administration may be hesitant to pursue large legislation like this in the future. Ahmed spoke on her own behalf, not on behalf of CPU, which is nonpartisan.
Anti-abortion student Mary Boadu, CC ’10, said that even though Obama agreed to sign an executive order prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortion, she was still suspicious of Congress’s reluctance to include a clearer provision within the bill itself.
Public funding for abortion has long been a contentious issue for Democrats and Republicans alike, and Obama’s agreement on Sunday to sign an executive order has been viewed by some as a last-minute negotiation with anti-abortion Democrats.
Still, Boadu said that it was not enough.
“If President Obama and the rest of the advocates for health care reform were truly committed to this stance and not using this reform as a way to directly or indirectly fund abortion, then they would have specifically made it clear within the bill itself,” she said.
Pro-abortion-rights organizations across the country have condemned the expected executive order as a challenge to fundamental women’s rights.
However, there were some aspects of the bill that Republican and Democratic students alike commended.
Most students, including Turner, said that they were happy about provisions in the bill that will allow people to remain on their parents’ health insurance plan through age 26.
Also included in the bill were provisions that will rewrite a four-decades-old student loan program, eliminating its reliance on private lenders. The $36 billion saved in that way will be redirected to fund Pell Grants for students with financial need.
Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein, CC ’12 and webmaster for the College Democrats, said that students are in fact the big winners with this provision.
“Financial aid will increase, and we won’t have to pay as much in student loan interest rates,” he said, adding that the provision will prevent private lenders from making as much money off of financial aid.
Student democrats agreed that this legislation is a major victory for the Obama administration, and Turner said he, too, believes it will be looked on favorably by the public for 10 or 15 years.
“Obama has passed a humongous piece of legislation that he can be proud of. I’m just concerned about the legislation’s long-term effects on our country.”
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