The Politics of Opposition to the Enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the United States

All non-essential functions of the United States federal government were shut down during the first two weeks of October 2013, due to a lapse in appropriations for fiscal year 2014. This disruption has a root in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was passed in March 2010 to overhaul the US healthcare system. The law was a compromise reached to reconcile opposition from various interest groups. By examining the politics of opposition to the enactment of the law, this study demonstrates how health policies in the United States are shaped by political and economic forces emanating from multiple sectors of society.