Nearly every BSM student has read or will read George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The novel proverbially chronicles the story of animals who take control of a farm, with the intent of making it a more desirable place for all of the animals that reside there.

Of the animals, the pigs quickly emerged as leaders, and began to create rules for the rest of the inhabitants. However, as time progressed, the pigs’ rules became very burdensome for everyone– except for the pigs themselves, who were exempt from their own rules.

This is the same situation that we are seeing with the Affordable Care Act, dubbed “Obamacare” by supporters and critics alike. One of Barack Obama’s key campaign promises in 2008 was the creation and passing of this bill, which he, and other Democrats, claimed would lower healthcare costs for Americans. Democrats strongly supported this new law, as did major labor unions who worked very hard to get Obama elected into office, including the Teamsters.

Knowing what it would do to our healthcare costs, a number of conservative Americans have opposed this law since before it was even passed. However, the rest of America is beginning to wake up to the realities of the “Affordable” Care Act, as well.

Americans are realizing that Obamacare  can and will seriously harm the forty-hour work week and the middle class. Under the law, employers are required to provide significantly costlier insurance to full time employees. To avoid the great cost of doing this, employers are hiring less full time employees. The detriment of this on society is obvious; less full time employees will cause Americans to work fewer hours and consequently earn lesser income, hurting our economy and our families.

This law will also make health insurance more expensive for Americans, as well as increase the cost of performing the care itself. Premiums will rise an average of 24% in 13 states, as well as Washington DC, says Forbes–130% in New Mexico, 97% in Vermont, and 83% in South Dakota. To make matters worse, the actual cost of performing the care itself will rise a staggering 72% in Indiana. Doctors may not be fully paid their billing rate by the insurance companies and have to spend time tracking down the money they are owed. They could be using this time to see more patients, but, instead, they must handle this burdensome administrative work, costing them time and money. From a financial perspective, this healthcare law is making it much less desirable to become a doctor, which is not what a country with a doctor shortage needs.

As a matter of fact, the liberal labor unions, who so adamantly supported Obamacare, have realized how much more money it will cost its members than intended. Knowing the serious detriments that it could have on their members and their families, the leaders of the Teamsters, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, and UNITE-HERE sent Senator Harry Reid and Representative Nancy Pelosi a letter urging them to reconsider Obamacare. It stated that the “unintended consequences of the law are severe” and that “perverse incentives are causing nightmare scenarios,” as quoted in Forbes.

However, there have been exceptions and exemptions. Some liberal unions have gotten waivers, and Congress itself has gotten an exception. Yes, the law that Congress passed was interpreted by Obama so that Congress itself would have 75 percent of their Obamacare premium paid by taxpayers, to make the “Affordable” Care Act that they passed more affordable for them. If our government was passing this law with the best interest of the American people in mind, it would be a law the at they would want to live under, as well. Congress wasn’t looking out for America, at all.

Not only is Obamacare ruining America’s healthcare system, but it is ruining democracy. Many of our lawmakers are getting caught-up in their own personal and party agenda, instead of serving the American people. It is not the role of the President to interpret laws to help out his liberal friends, either. This is Animal Farm all over again, but in real life.