“Roundtable” – Governing Behind Closed Doors: The Success of Obamacare
Webinar roundtable discussion on William Genieys’ new book,*Governing Out of the Public Eye: The Success of Obamacare*,published as part of the ANR ProActa project.
A discussion featuring the author, William Genyes, CNRS research director at the Center for Comparative Studies and Policy at Sciences Po Paris; Stéphane Paquin (Professor, ENAP); and Karine Prémont (Professor, University of Sherbrooke)
William Genieys’ investigation sheds light on the role of these new American political elites, who are working to ensure that the federal government serves the public interest rather than lobbyists.
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 enabled 20 million American citizens to obtain health insurance. As the most ambitious health care reform in the United States since the 1960s, Obamacare is also a political success. Even Donald Trump was unable to repeal it.
This success is due to the behind-the-scenes, groundwork of a small group of “health policy watchdogs,” who are long-time veterans of the intricacies of Washington and experts on the inner workings of the U.S. healthcare system. Operating on the fringes of power during the George W. Bush administration and later within the federal government under Barack Obama, these insiders—bitter from the failure of Clinton’s healthcare reform in the early 1990s—used their political resources to modernize a system that had become obsolete. While they were unable to implement universal coverage, they at least expanded the federal government’s regulatory powers in the healthcare sector, thereby paving the way for future improvements.
William Genieys’ investigation sheds light on the role of these new American political elites, who are working to ensure that the federal government serves the public interest rather than lobbyists.
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