Today, many Americans with pre-existing medical conditions can easily access adequate and affordable health coverage across all states, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. It prohibits employers and insurance companies from denying health coverage to any American with a pre-existing health condition(s). It also directs insurance firms to provide all Americans with equal premiums, notwithstanding their health status. In short, the act has been critical in offering an array of cost-sharing benefits and protections to all Americans.
Despite its benefits, the Affordable Care Act has been facing resistance since 2016 from the Republicans, the Trump administration, and about eighteen attorney generals from various states. The ACA’s successful termination is likely to hurt the American healthcare market, especially Americans with pre-existing conditions. The country is likely to witness the re-introduction of an expensive healthcare insurance market that will not have any regard for people.
It would be difficult for people from low-income families to access quality healthcare, thus leading to their early demise. Before the introduction of the ACA, Lueck (2020) notes that it was almost impossible for Americans with pre-existing conditions such as those with recurrent sinus infections to access affordable and adequate healthcare. As a result, they incurred higher premiums from various insurance firms in the country.
Therefore, the exclusion of Americans with critical conditions is likely to make their life difficult since they will lose their insurance. According to Lueck (2020), about 27% of American adults under 65 years have been diagnosed with critical conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cancer. As such, people with the above pre-existing conditions are also likely to incur individual extra costs because they will no longer be under the federal government insurance program.
In conclusion, the effects of excluding people with conditions like cancer from federal health care on the healthcare market will be devastating to many families with such patients across the United States. Therefore, the Trump administration and the other Republican members should be concerned with improving the lives of Americans diagnosed with pre-existing conditions instead of trying to make their life unbearable by excluding them from federal health care programs.
Reference List
Lueck, S. (2020). Adopting a state-based health insurance marketplace poses risks and challenges. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Web.