The Affordable Care Act has a provision requiring insurance companies to set premium rates by "community rating", meaning that people with pre-existing conditions can't be charged more for insurance than those without. However, the Senate version of Trump-care allows states to opt-out of offering plans that cover essential health benefits that people with pre-existing conditions need. In other words, the Senate Trump-care bill gives insurers a backdoor way of discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions.
80% of the people are against this, claiming that it is immoral to deny health insurance to these people, when the other 20% argue that insuring them only drives up the costs for everyone else. This disastrous bill leaves 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions struggling to find insurance plans that cover treatment for even relatively common conditions such as mental health problems or diabetes, in addition to having to scramble together enough to pay off significantly higher medical costs.People don't realize that as many as 1 in every 2 Americans have a health issue that qualifies as a pre-existing condition. Even as a 16 year-old, I have 4 of the conditions listed on the right. Where does that leave the rest of America? 1.7 million Americans are cancer patients. 3 kids a day are diagnosed with cancer. 5.4 million live with Alzheimer's. And 24 million will be uninsured if the ACA is repealed. Who will insurance companies serve if not for the sick?
This bill ends guaranteed protections critical for people with pre-existing conditions and that is not okay. The people need to know who will have their backs when they get ill but by the looks of it, it's not the government. I strongly disagree with any reformations made to Obamacare. It's one thing to make cuts to millions of people's health insurance, but its another to cut it from the sick.
I came across a very insightful blog by one of my classmates, Kelly La, about the new Trump-Care bill’s elimination of coverage for those with ‘pre-existing conditions.’ The Trump-Care allows states to “opt out of offering plans that cover essential health care benefits that people with pre-existing conditions need.”
ReplyDeleteKelly does a great job explaining the dangers this bill will have on the American public through her words. The way she lays out the facts and her opinions is very effective in explaining her argument. She weaves them together seamlessly to make her point witty and quick. The best example of this is in this sentence written by Kelly: “People don’t realize that as many as 1 in every 2 Americans have a health issue that qualifies as a pre existing condition.”
However, the most compelling tactic Kelly uses to explain her argument is the huge image in the middle of her blog post. The image lists the ‘pre-existing conditions’ and how many Americans have each condition. The image Kelly uses really draws you into the piece and allows her readers to really engage in her post. I read the list and I have at least one of the listed conditions, and it is very clear that most people would have at least one pre-existing condition on this list. Additionally, the image states that this list is not finite and that there are other pre existing conditions not mentioned.
The combination of Kelly’s quick and witty words and her interactive image makes this a very engaging and effective piece and a great read.
On August 3, 2017, Kelly La posted an article titled "Nothing Trumps Obamacare," where she argued that the government should not put in place any reformations to Obamacare because it would be taking away healthcare for those with pre-existing conditions. I completely agree with this. It is insane to think that our government wants to take away something that helps so many people in need. La states, "1.7 million Americans are cancer patients. 3 kids a day are diagnosed with cancer. 5.4 million live with Alzheimer's. And 24 million will be uninsured if the ACA is repealed. Who will insurance companies serve if not for the sick?" 24 million people, uninsured just because Republicans are not happy with something the past president (who was a Democrat) helped establish.
ReplyDeleteRepealing the ACA/reforming Obamacare would cause so much more harm than good. Who will help people who relied solely on Obamacare with their illnesses if it is taken away? Isn't healthcare there to help the sick? Are they saying that those suffering from something as terrible as cancer don't deserve the right to affordable healthcare? This is a prime example of politicians thinking about what's in it for them rather than what will help the citizens of this country. La's article is a great read for anyone who wants to learn more about how the ACA/ Obamacare helps those in need.
Until next time.
-Mandi