The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), colloquially known as Obamacare, is arguably the largest piece of social legislation since President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. The bill barely made it through the legislative process. It was not the first attempt by a Democratic president to reform the industry. In 1994, President Bill Clinton tried to pass his version of a health care bill but was met with disdain from both sides of the aisle. As public support dwindled, a Democratic Congress failed to pass an alternative plan before losing their majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Popularity of the issue diminished over the next decade and a half.

Health care reform resurfaced as a major issue in the 2008 presidential election. ...