The Dysfunctional Politics of the Affordable Care Act

While analyzing the contentious debate over health care reform, this much-needed study also challenges the argument that treating medical patients like shoppers can significantly reduce health expenditures.

• Explains why the two political parties have staked out such different positions on health care reform

• Documents what the public knows about the Affordable Care Act and how individuals' party identification significantly affects their knowledge

• Challenges the arguments for consumer-driven health care plans by gathering evidence from numerous studies of consumer behavior under various kinds of insurance plans

• Offers a well-informed critique of the political arguments surrounding the expansion of Medicaid, showing how this policy diffusion leverages the weak arguments and evidence for consumer-driven health care plans