Who wrote the Affordable Care Act?

[Puzzledtraveller]

The PPACA is a massive piece of legislation. It was not written overnight. It had to have been conceived and drafted in some part even before the president was sworn in, if not elected. I know the official legislation would have been written by congress but there had to be a pretty big framework already in place for a law of this magnitude. I know people reference Romneycare and other models from the past that have been proposed but I cannot help but get the feeling that the ACA was already on a backburner just ready for the right time and right president to make it possible.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Excellent question that history deserves to have answered.

I tend to think you're right about there having been a framework.

And there were probably plenty of representatives of the industry on one side of the discussion, hopefully some union representation, and I would hope some from outside the industry, maybe NGO contributors and ideally folks from other countries that have successfully implemented.

But we deserve more than our own guesswork!

[DURHAM D]

2. The Heritage Foundation in early 90s.

[OneBlueDotBama]

3. Pauly & Gruber

Prof Mark Pauly of the Wharton School of Biz and Gruber from MIT would be where the template came from. Pauly's plan was the plan pushed by Heritage in the 1990's and Gruber's was used for Romneycare.

[DissidentVoice]

4. It is VERY similar

It is VERY similar to what Republicans were proposing in the early 1990s before they made Bill Clinton roll over and play dead on health care.