As the author notes in this article, it's surprising Bernie hasn't mentioned this accomplishment on his senate website. But apparently, Bernie Sanders had a "yuge" influence on the ACA.
Over the years, Sanders has tucked away funding for health centers in appropriation bills signed by George W. Bush, into Barack Obama’s stimulus program, and through the earmarking process. But his biggest achievement came in 2010 through the Affordable Care Act. In a series of high-stakes legislative maneuvers, Sanders struck a deal to include $11 billion for health clinics in the law.
The result has made an indelible mark on American health care, extending the number of people served by clinics from 18 million before the ACA to an expected 28 million next year.
Sanders’s place in health clinic history will be remembered for his forceful role in the winter of the health reform debate. In December 2009, tensions ran high as Congress inched closer to a final health reform deal. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., tapped Sanders to help win support from liberals who thought the bill was too weak as well as from Democrats from rural states who were facing mounting pressure. More funding for community health centers, Sanders argued, was a win-win solution for both camps, since the program would ensure access to health care for even the most remote areas of the country while also helping those without insurance. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., among others, held out to the very last moment.
Two days before the Senate voted to break a Republican filibuster of the bill, Reid called on Sanders to make his case on the Senate floor. Sanders, in typical fashion, said the legislation was far from perfect, but thundered about the common-sense need for health centers, citing the acute demand for more primary care doctors, the cost-savings from patients who would otherwise use the emergency room for the common cold, the patient-centered model of clinics, and so on. Senate Democrats rallied and overcame the Republican filibuster.
I don't want to overquote the article, but the journalist is so good at explaining the dynamics that went on, Bernie's role in the contemporary issue, but also delving into the history of local medical clinics that were set up during the civil rights movement, and eventually became part of Johnson's war on poverty.
And it doesn't neglect how Republicans who rail against Obamacare, really like those local clinics and take credit for them with their constituents.
The article:
Mon Jul 06, 2015 at 9:14 PM PT: Invisiblewoman has saved the day. Let's see if DK can accept DU:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/...
yes and I know I spelled Senator wrong.