Repealing Obamacare Does More Harm Than Good
In the past few days, Republicans in Congress have voted to repeal Obamacare (also known as the Affordable Care Act or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) which, while not surprising, is a move that will affect millions in this nation. The best part, however, is the leaders who want to demolish Obamacare have no plan in place to replace it.
Now, a lot of you republicans might be happy about this — after all, you can finally get rid of one of the biggest achievements that Barack Obama achieved during his eight years as President of the United States. People have desired this forever, and Paul Ryan is sly enough to convince his own citizens that Obamacare is in a “death spiral” and is collapsing in this country. However, what Republicans do not seem to realize is that this could affect them just as much it will affect Democrats.
Eliminating Obamacare could mean that people will have to pay much, much more for insurance. It could mean that parents will no longer be able to keep their children on their private insurance until the age of 26 — the way they can now. People with pre-existing conditions could be denied health insurance, and in some cases, even pregnancy can now be considered a “pre-existing condition.”
On top of all that, Obamacare has been very women-friendly in the sense that it allows for reduced or free birth control; if taken away, many women will be unable to afford any form of birth control. The logic with this is appalling to me. The Republican Party does not believe in abortion (to the extent that they hope to also defund Planned Parenthood which, for their information, does a lot more than just “kill babies”), but at the same time are making it harder and harder each day for women to obtain access to the medication that prevents a number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. This (on top of the fact that birth control is also necessary for many women who have health issues such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or Endometriosis) just makes it more shocking that some are working to make such an enabling medication harder to obtain, not easier.
The way the GOP has worked day and night to repeal Obamacare shows that their interests are placed above those of the citizens. The health and safety of the citizens of this country are not being taken into account. This action can make it difficult for citizens to get the medical attention they need and deserve. It can stop them from being able to afford medication that is necessary for survival. If you ever stop and glance at the difference between how much medication really is versus how much you pay with insurance, you can see how much one saves. A political party, especially one that is leading one of the most powerful nations in the world, should be helping their citizens in every single way possible — I do not see that happening right now.
With that being said, the only advice I have for the fellow GOP supporter is this: whenever you’re happy that Obamacare becomes a thing of America’s past, take a look back and remember. Remember all of the lives it saved, the people it could have saved, and how you would have felt if you or your family needed medical aid through an affordable insurance plan, but could not receive it.
