Obamacare, more formally known as the Affordable Healthcare Act, addressed some basic healthcare needs for women and those with preexisting conditions in the US. This is something that is exponentially lacking in the American Healthcare Act (AHCA) proposed by US President Donald Trump.
AHCA, stripped down to its fundamentals, serves only rich men who do not suffer from any birth defects, or in other words, those people who are born into the top one per cent of the privilege hierarchy. Although AHCA may seem like a good option, especially for all those who are ardently pro-life, a closer look at it shows that AHCA ignores the basic healthcare needs for women. Most of the Republicans rejected Obamacare, because they didn’t want their taxes going into the funding of the immediate medical needs of the poorer section of the society.
Moreover, AHCA ignores the medical needs for children with chronic illnesses acquired at birth. This means that many of the parent/s, who earlier could pay for the sustenance of their children though their medical insurance, can no longer do so. AHCA would have a direct negative impact on the lives of thousands of children (and their parents) who, for no fault of their own, have to live with a chronic illness.
Under AHCA, employers have the right to deny birth control under their insurance policy, which means that the several people suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or ovarian cancer or some other disease will lose access to the one medication that helps them lead a healthy life.
Although a more comprehensive healthcare act still needs to be formulated in the US, the direction in which the country is currently heading can potentially destruct the lives of several sections of its society. The US is at a crossroads, and I strongly believe that it should diverge from the path leading up to AHCA, even if that means reverting to Obamacare.
- The reader is a student in Dubai.
