Health care is a right, not a product. Already within the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare - and since when is care a bad word), many great programs are helping millions of people across the country.
As we speak, 2.5 million young Americans now have access to healthcare, bridging the gap between high school/higher education and entering the job market full time. In addition, starting Aug. 1, 2012, Health Insurance companies will be required to provide basic health care services for women including mammograms, pap smears and contraception at no cost to the consumer.
These are two great advancements in healthcare coverage for two important parts of our society, young adults and women. Go Obamacare!
As no bill is perfect, there may be some aspects of the ACA that need adjusting. Fine, then let’s start looking at them one by one. However, repealing the entire law is shortsighted and partisan. If Republicans get their way and repeal the Affordable Care Act, they will knowingly uninsure 2.5 million youth between the ages of 18 and 26 when they are most vulnerable.
If Republicans get their way, they will attack women’s rights and put back into place the “pre-existing conditions” clause allowing insurance companies to deny coverage based on prior illnesses. Isn’t that what health insurance is for?
So the next time a Republican tells you that these “requirements” will cripple the insurance companies profits and cost jobs, know that last year, as working families struggled with rising health care costs and a recession, the five largest health insurance companies — WellPoint, UnitedHealthGroup, Cigna, Aetna, and Humana — took in combined profits of $12.2 billion, up 56 percent over 2008.
And just two more numbers to sink your teeth into, there are six registered healthcare lobbyists for every member of Congress and since President Obama took office in early 2009, over $425 million has been spent on insurance lobbying.
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