Amanda Jones | Staff Writer
The Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, is at risk of being repealed by Congress. Since its institution on March 23, 2010, the act has provided for numerous benefits, rights and protections for the American people. CNN Money reports, “Under Obamacare, senior citizens pay less for Medicare coverage and for their prescription drugs.
Many Americans have received free contraceptives, mammograms, colonoscopies and cholesterol tests. And small business employers with older and sicker workers have not been slapped with super high premiums.” Since 2010, the rate for healthcare recipients in the United States has increased, reaching more than 20 million people.
Not only is Obamacare beneficial for small businesses but it is a significant factor in the production of jobs for the economy. The Obama administration has sought to increase the number of jobs in the economy through the health care act by utilizing tax dollars and adhering to the financial needs of small businesses in order to provide the necessary health coverage for their employees.
Forbes magazine supports this position stating, “the economy has added 7.7 million jobs since March 2010”. With this, efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare have in some areas been extremely unpopular. Professor Robertson-Jones of the Nursing Department elaborates on the effects of the decision saying, “The people that it was designed to benefit are the same ones that are going to be effected the most.
When you think about other countries, typically is are universal health care and coverage for all. I think that is extremely important because that is a privilege that shouldn’t be limited to the ones that are wealthy.
As of 2017, the Trump administration has made a commitment to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, discarding parts of the act deemed detrimental and keeping aspects of the act seen as harmless. As of January, the Senate, reported by NPR News, “approved a budget resolution that sets the stage for broad swaths of the Affordable Care Act to be repealed through a process known as budget reconciliation.”
Congress intends to initially defund provisions of Obamacare through budget reconciliation, which would begin to limit the supply and efficacy of the care provided. When asked about her position on Congress defunding necessary freedoms of Obamacare, Amirrah Watson a freshman nursing student replied, “I strongly stand against efforts unless there is an effectively transferable and immediate replacement of equal or better value to the American people.”
The defunding of Obamacare will have large effects on minority populations as well as areas with mostly rural communities.
The Hampton Script 