Because of the inability of the GOP to successfully repeal Obamacare, we will be sticking with it for a while longer, and honestly, that is not such a bad thing.
Ever since November, the Republican Party has been desperately trying to replace the Affordable Care Act with a more conservative health care plan. What the GOP came up with was not in the best interest of low-income families and certainly not good news for college students.
Obamacare may not be perfect, but for students, it is an affordable and reasonable option. There must be options and opportunities for low-income families and college students included in any new health care initiative. Anything less would be detrimental to the incoming workforce of the U.S.
Obamacare is the most reasonable right now because of the cost, at least for young college students and the overwhelming proof of this is the inability of either party to put together and build consensus on a better option. The Affordable Care Act was implemented in 2010, in the last seven years nothing better has come to fruition.
Representatives from the Congressional Budget Office stated that the AHCA would have left an additional 24 Million Americans without health care coverage by 2026. That is bad news for the young and the poor.
I was curious about what would cost me and what coverage I could get. I googled “Obamacare” and entered in the necessary information. Within minutes I was talking to an insurance agent on the phone and got a quote on what it would cost me sign up for my own insurance plan. The package I was offered was as low as $50 per month.
The GOP health care plan, titled the “American Health Care Act,” would have sacked Medicaid expansion according to usatoday.com, which is where millions receive Obamacare coverage.
Now, it is true that with Obamacare, premiums did rise and a patient could not keep his or her physician in some cases. As a college student, I am not as focused on keeping the same doctor as I am about being able to get something checked out if I needed to.
Let’s talk about rising premiums. This is something that, according to NBC News, only 15 percent of people would have to face due to federal subsidies designed to counteract rising costs. This simply means that the federal government is covering most of the costs instead of the citizens who are paying for the insurance. And even those who do see the rising cost can switch plans within the market exchange program to mitigate the cost.
While Obamacare may not be the ideal health care system for everyone, it is the best option out there for college students who can no longer cling to their parents’ insurance plans.
I have friends and roommates who have needed to see a doctor recently but declined the option altogether because of potential costs. That is all the evidence I need to see that although our current system is not great, it is a whole lot better than the newest alternative.
For the good of this country, the GOP needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with a more inclusive health care plan. And in the meantime, let’s keep Obamacare for the good of the college students.
