BY NICK IRONSIDE // SEPT. 10, 2012 //

If you plan on voting in the November election, it’s a good idea to be well versed in the candidates’ positions. Whoever you end up voting for, your decision should be based on what matters most to you.

Is college debt an issue in the front of your mind? Probably.

Are you concerned about the Second Amendment and your “right to bear arms?” Possibly.

Does President Barack Obama’s healthcare law keep you up at night? Probably not. But it does affect you, whether you realize it or not.

President Barack Obama’s healthcare plan has been a heavily debated topic.

The “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” better known as Obamacare was signed into law in March 2010. It hasn’t fully gone into effect, yet opponents and advocates of the law have since been arguing over its full costs and value.

Conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh called the law “the greatest encroachment on individual liberty ever. That’s why it has to be repealed, and that’s what this election is all about.” Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he will lead that charge if elected.

But what exactly is Obamacare? And how does it impact you, today’s college student?

Because of the law, family policies can now include children under the age of 26. Approximately 3 million people who previously had no health insurance now own coverage thanks to this part of the law.

Also, insurance agencies used to decline coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions. The new law prohibits that. Insurers can no longer turn down someone with a pre-existing condition, such as ADD or ADHD, for example, which are increasingly common medical disorders among our generation.

Obamacare also allows people who can’t afford health insurance to receive some governmental financial support to buy it, and it mandates that insurance policies cover FDA-approved contraception for women.

Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, signed a similar healthcare plan into law in the state back in 2006. Now, he opposes the framework of the very law he once championed, saying it is far too costly for the federal government.

Obamacare may not be the perfect solution to the nation’s healthcare and financial challenges. It has its good and bad, just like any other law. But it does help young people, and that’s worth thinking about when considering whom to vote for this November.