Pros And Cons Of Obamacare

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In 2015, the average American visited the doctor four times a year, compared to an average of 3.3 visits in 1995 (“Health Care Use”). With this steady escalation of doctors visits among Americans, the need for an insurance plan that offers good coverage has also increased. The recently repealed Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, and the new Republican Party (GOP) replacement plan both contain pros and cons regarding taxing non-healthcare insurance buyers and the wealthy, how women’s health is covered, and how older Americans benefit from the plans. When looking closely at these policies brought to light by these two plans, a clear front runner has been determined. Obamacare benefits the widest range of Americans; from low income …show more content…

Obamacare grants 47 million women the access to preventative health services, services that are needed for women because 52% of women reported that before the act they did not undergo these health screenings because of cost ("ObamaCare and Women”). Services include mammogram screenings, sexually transmitted disease tests, contraception counseling and tests, and many other services necessary in living a healthy life. With women's health being an issue that is still in debate regarding how much coverage it should receive, Obamacare gives women who can not afford these necessary screenings a chance to obtain them. Without these screenings, pregnancy complications can go undetected, cancers may not be caught, along with numerous other women's health issues. On the other hand, the GOP plan would defund Planned Parenthood, the organization that provides many of the free screening services to women. Also under the GOP plan, insurance companies still can not charge women more than men, but it allows insurance agencies to charge more if the patient has a pre-existing condition and has a gap in their coverage (Thomson-DeVeaux). While Obamacare granted many services to women in need, the GOP plan instead takes away those privileges and lets people who are sickly be charged more. Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, strongly …show more content…

Yet, the new replacement plans raises costs for the older Americans. Unlike the GOP plan, Obamacare limits how much insurers can charge this demographic, stating that they can only charge them up to three times the amount as young Americans (Zurcher). Mainly due to retirees not having a steady income, Obamacare has put this cap on how much insurers can charge. With older American’s health deteriorating and needing more health care, they are able to receive the care they need without having to pay for it all out of savings. With the GOP replacement plan, insurers can charge the older population up to five times the amount of younger consumers of health care and can let the states choose their own ratio (Zurcher). As Americans get older, their need for health care increases, meaning that their cost for insurance will also increase. Charging older Americans more than younger Americans does not take into consideration that the elder generation has no income, since most of them are retired. As stated before, the GOP replacement plan will not issue a tax penalty if a person does not purchase health insurance, instead they are issuing tax credits. These tax credits are based off of age and income, which will take a toll on the retired (Belvedere), which answers the previous question of where the money is coming from. While older Americans

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