Posted in: Moving in Congress

Obama Finalizes Health Care Reform

Tag health care, President Barack Obama, student loans

by Tim Walker

March 30, 2010 – President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed into law a package of changes to the landmark overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system he approved last week. The legislation signed today also contains sweeping reforms to the student loan industry.

“This week we can rightly say the foundation on which America’s future will be built is stronger than it was one year ago,’ Obama remarked to the audience at Northern Virginia Community College. Health care and student loans reform, Obama said, are ‘two major victories that will improve lives of our people for generations to come.’

National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel congratulated the Obama administration and Congress for having the courage and the vision for taking up the long and arduous but critical task of reforming health care.

‘With the stroke of a pen, President Obama has put health care within reach for millions of Americans,” Van Roekel said. “NEA members are excited about what this means for them, the students they serve and the future of our nation. They are already contacting us with questions about how to take advantage of this historic legislation.’

Even as it tracks the implementation of health care reform and its impact on its 3.2 million members, NEA has pivoted to focus on the overhaul of the No Child Left Behind law. NEA opposes the Obama adminstration’s reauthorization ‘blueprint’ and released its own proposal on Friday.