NSG 4068 Week 3 Project – First Steps on Becoming a Grassroots Lobbyist/Advocate for Health Care Policy

I oppose the American Health Care Act (ACHCA) for the following reasons:

I believe that the AHCA shows discrimination towards the elderly who are not able to qualify for Medicare due to their age. The elderly will have to pay more for insurance than younger adults and children due to existing health conditions (Buchmueller et al., 2016).

I believe the AHCA is unfavorable for middle and lower-class Americans due to higher premiums that are harder to afford (Buchmueller et al., 2016).

This bill will allow people with pre-existing health problems to be charged more by insurers and possibly rejected for hospital admission costs (Engel, 2018).

AHCA will affect all individuals on Medicaid by making cuts to Medicaid and leaving many without health care (Buchmueller, 2017).

Pharmaceutical and insurance companies will both thrive due to the tax breaks that would be offered, and I do not think this is fair since insurance and the cost of medications are already so

Rationales for the Leave Behind

If passed, the AHCA shows discrimination toward the elderly who are not able to qualify for Medicare, and they will have to pay more for insurance than younger adults and children due to existing health conditions (Buchmueller et al., 2016). This is not fair, in my opinion. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows for all people to have insurance, whereas the AHCA offers insurance to individuals, which can be hard to afford for the lower and middle class.

Another rationale for not passing the AHCA is that it would affect the elderly who have pre-existing conditions, and insurance may not cover these (Engel, 2018). Insurance could also deny paying for certain medical expenses and even hospitalizations. Insurance premiums can be increased and not affordable. I do not think it is fair for the elderly to have to pay higher premiums due to pre-existing conditions. Younger adults and children will most likely have to pay less for insurance premiums.

Since AHCA will affect all individuals on Medicaid by making cuts to Medicaid and leaving many without health care, this is another reason I oppose it (Buchmueller et al., 2016). Medicaid funding could be affected tremendously, and this would impact the people who receive Medicaid. The elderly, low-income, dependents, and some pregnant women rely on Medicaid. If the funding for Medicaid is reduced, many could be left without insurance and a form to cover medical expenses (Buchmueller et al., 2016).

If the AHCA were passed, both pharmaceutical and insurance companies would thrive due to the tax breaks that would be offered. Insurance and the cost of medications both can be increased, affecting many Americans (Engel, 2018). The cost of prescriptions and insurance premiums, in general, are already high, and many cannot comfortably afford these. Many people do without the medications that they need due to the fact that they cannot afford them.