The 1980’s

NHE Increases & COBRA

By 1980, NHE accounted for 8.9 percent of GDP, an even larger leap than the decade prior. Under the Reagan Administration (1981-1989), regulations loosened across the board, and privatization of healthcare became increasingly common.

The 1990’s

HIPAA & Medicaid Expansion

By 1990, NHE accounted for 12.1 percent of GDP — the largest increase thus far in the history of healthcare. Like others before him, the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton (1993-2001), saw that this rapid increase in healthcare expenses would be damaging to the average American and attempted to take action.

The Early 2000’s

Extending Coverage

The history of healthcare slowed down at that point, as the national healthcare debate was tabled while the U.S. focused on the increased threat of terrorism and the second Iraq War. It wasn’t until election campaign mumblings began in 2006 and 2007 that insurance worked its way back into the national discussion.

2008 to 2016

The Affordable Care Act

When Barack Obama (2009-2017) was elected the 44th President of the United States in 2008, he wasted no time getting to work on healthcare reform. He worked closely with Senator Ted Kennedy to create a new healthcare law that mirrored the one Kennedy and Nixon worked on in the '70s.

2017

The Trump Presidency

Since Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017, many have questioned what would happen with our healthcare system — specifically, what would happen to the ACA, since Donald Trump ran on a platform of “repealing and replacing” the bill.

Present

The Future of Healthcare

Hungry to notch a win on healthcare prior to the 2020 election, the Trump administration continues to push ahead on initiatives designed to reign-in healthcare costs.