Obamacare, disability, LGBTQ rights, and other social reforms by former US prez Barack Obama
On the occasion of Barack Hussein Obama’s 58th birthday, let’s revisit some of the notable reforms during the former US President’s time at the White House.
When Barack Obama was voted into power in the 2009 US presidential elections, he not only became the most powerful man in the world, but also made history by becoming the first African American to occupy the Oval Office.
With two successive terms in office from 2009-2017, Obama took notable steps to ensure equal rights of the LGBTQ+ community, universal affordable healthcare, and other social initiatives for the American citizen’s safety and well-being.
Here are the top five social initiatives taken by the Obama administration that paved the way for several unprecedented social and economic reforms in the country.
An ally of the LGBTQ+ community
Obama made history in 2012 by becoming the first sitting US President to voice his support for same-sex marriage. Three years later, the US Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land.
Following the announcement, President Obama called the Supreme Court's decision a "victory for America" that had "made our union a little more perfect."
That is not all. Obama helped lift the ban on LGBTQ+ people serving in the military, signed an executive order against discrimination at the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity. His term also saw a historic number of people from the community occupying high-ranking positions.
Also, the administration developed and released the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States in 2010. Later it was updated through 2020 to address disparities faced by certain communities in the country.
Enabling the disabled American citizen
To induct disabled people in the government sectors and provide them a means of living, the Obama administration signed an executive order to increase federal employment of individuals with disabilities.
Further, Obama committed the Executive Branch to employ more individuals with disabilities in the federal workforce. President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) into law, putting the onus on several Cabinet-level agencies to increase the employment of individuals with disabilities, particularly the Department of Labor and the Department of Education.
In five years, 71,967 disabled individuals got full-time employment, 80,469 got full-time and part-time jobs in the federal workforce within five years.
Later, the administration also launched a new Mental Health Early Intervention demonstration project in the social Security Administration. It was brought with the aim to understand better and efficient ways to help people with disabilities get employment and hire them.
Tackling poverty with socio-economic reforms
The aim was to expand economic opportunity and invest as much as possible in the community and neighbourhoods.
The move, which included the introduction of Obama healthcare and a focus on investing in job creation, yielded quite a good result, the household income grew by 5.2 percent in 2014-15, the growth was across the income distribution, the rapid growth was witnessed among lower- and middle-income households.
Further, the number of people in poverty came down by 3.5 million people, which brought down the poverty rate from 14.8 percent in 2014 to 13.5 percent in 2015. This drop included in improvement in the health of children, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans as well, thanks to the healthcare benefits extended to millions of poor and near-poor through the Affordable Care Act.
Obama also took stringent steps to control the economy during the great recession and kept 3.9 million to 5.7 million people out of poverty from 2009 to 2012.
Obamacare, aka the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Signed on March 23, 2010, the primary focus of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was to make healthcare accessible for all Americans and bring down the cost of healthcare services and coverage.
Thanks to the Act, the country saved a whopping $2.3 trillion, and helped an average family lower their family healthcare insurance by $2,500. Overall, it helped an average American family save $4,000, and led to an increase in workers’ wages.
Obamacare expanded health insurance coverage to more than 20 million uninsured Americans.
Gun control
In response to the unmitigated increase in gun violence and school shootouts in the US, the Obama administration made sure no one without a licence and adequate background check can handle guns.
President Obama further issued a Presidential Memorandum directing the Department of Defence, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security to take important steps for promoting smart gun technology, which means a gun can be fired only by the owner.
(Edited by Evelyn Ratnakumar)