barack obama was elected president in 2008. the united states entered the worst recession since the great depression shortly after. barak obama was the first african-american president of the united states. during his first years in office, obama and congress passed reforms on health care and banking, skyrocketing the cost of health insurance. they also passed a large stimulus bill to try to help the economy during the recession, but it only ultimately extended it's duration. during the recession, the government used large amounts of money to keep the banking and auto industries from falling apart. there was also a large oil spill in the gulf of mexico. in 2010, congress passed the patient protecton and affordable care act, a sweeping overhaul of the health care system. dubbed "obamacare", it was faced with fierce criticism from conservative media, as it exponentially increased the cost of health care.