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     Just a few short weeks ago, the U.S. Congress passed the Affordable Health Care Act, and since then, the country has been up in arms over the issue.
     But do Americans really understand all of the changes that the bill will bring?
     Dr. Jeff Bloodworth, a Gannon University assistant professor in the history department, said that the bill is less liberal and not as drastic as many people believe.
     “The left doesn’t like it and the right hates it, so that makes me think that there’s something good about it,” he said. “It’s a careful, moderate, mainstream bill; this was not the radical earth changing bill the liberals wanted or conservatives feared.”
     There are many different parts of the Affordable Health Care Act that cover everything from government regulation of insurance policies to redefining medical concepts of pre-existing conditions, but a few major points directly affect college-aged people.

     Bloodworth, who is also the adviser for Campus Democrats, said that the two main points young adults should be concerned about are the change in health coverage limitations and the mandate to have health insurance.
     According to a White House press release, one in three young adults are currently uninsured, but with the new plan, workplace and retiree health insurance plans can now allow parents to add their children under age 27 to their health coverage on a tax-free basis.
     Emily Oswald, a senior political science major, said that she was grateful for this change.
     “For me, this is a good thing because as of right now I don’t have a job set up for after graduation next week,” she said. “It is scary to me that I won’t be covered for some time.”
     Health insurance will also be mandatory for everyone to have, although state-based “Health Insurance Exchanges” that begin in 2014 will help create lower prices and offer assistance packages for those who cannot afford it.
     Bloodworth said that the bill was supposed to make health care more affordable.
     “They did not create a government program,” he said. “They called it the public option, but did not create a government-run health insurance program. The idea is that this bill will make it affordable, and if you have a pre-existing condition, you can actually get insurance.”
     Many students, especially health science majors, are concerned about the effects that the health care reforms will have on the American job market.
     Tom Russo, a senior pre-med/biology major who plans on attending medical school, said that he wasn’t sure how the heath care industry would react to the long-term changes that lie ahead.
     “There are millions upon millions of people that are without insurance, and I think that’s ridiculous,” he said. “I also think that it’s ridiculous that doctors are getting sued for millions for trying to do good deeds… doctors are forced into preventative medicine because they’re worried about being hounded by lawsuits.
     “I think that [the government] didn’t assess the situation as much as they needed to – there’s a lot more in the background that affects why it costs so much for health care.”
     Oswald said that she thought that some current health science majors might see changes in their futures, depending on how far the ripple effect goes, but not to expect tsunamis.
     “For the most part, I see this as insurance reform more so than health care reform,” she said. “So perhaps it would allow doctors and nurses to do their jobs with less influence from big business telling them how to treat their patients – which is probably why the American Medical Association was in support of the bill.”
     Bloodworth said that even though the plan will benefit many people, it is a controversial issue today because of the money tied up in the issue.
     “Sixteen percent of the American economy is in health insurance,” he said. “Any time you have government intervention into any part of the economy, whether that’s selling tires or trees, it’s controversial.”
     Bloodworth said that the U.S. didn’t see government decisions like this very frequently, and that also contributed to the shock value of the bill.
     “In the American context, this is an extraordinary change,” he said. “People in Canada and Western Europe look at this and say ‘what’s the big deal, this is a conservative thing,’ but government intervention in the American economy is a big change.”
     In any case, many people are unsure of what the bill will bring for America’s economy, health care system and daily life.
     “I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how everything pans out,” Russo said. “I have no idea how this will affect America. It’s great that millions will be insured under this plan; it was definitely necessary, but I think right now I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
     Oswald warned students from making generalizations about the health care bill without being educated on all of the issues first.
     “Not everyone who can’t afford health care doesn’t work, or doesn’t try,” she said. “In most cases, this bill will make it easier for people who do work to receive better insurance, and to prevent insurance companies from saying ‘no’ to people who are genuinely making an effort.”