On March 6, the Republican Party revealed their new plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. Under this new bill, the American Health Care Act, premiums are proposed to decrease 10 percent by the year 2026. However, this would also result in a 25 percent decrease in Medicaid funding and the lack of coverage for 52 million Americans, according to a March 13 New York Times article. What do you think of this new proposal and how does it compare to the Affordable Care Act?

Samina Aktar ’17

The Affordable Care Act does not come without faults. It has caused some insurance companies to drop some of their plans, because the plans did not follow the 10 essential benefits listed under the act. According to the Congressional Budget Office (2009), because more individuals were covered under the plan, the costs were initially increased. On the other hand, The Affordable Care Act allowed more individuals to be covered by insurance companies and even made it so that insurance companies could not deny coverage to individuals due to pre-existing health conditions or deny them access to their insurance if they were to get sick. The newly proposed replacement for this act is expected to be able to cut the federal deficit by $337 billion over a decade but is also expected to deprive millions of health coverage.

Samina Aktar ’17 is the President of March of Dimes and the Health Education Chair for Global Brigades.

Prof. Sarah Curi (HSSP)

Under the ACA, the uninsured rate dropped to a historic low of 9.5% with 20M more covered. Also, we are guaranteed a set of “minimum essential benefits” and cannot be denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition.Trump recently declared, “We're going to have insurance for everybody … There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can't pay for it, you don't get it. That's not going to happen with us, … [you] can expect to have great health care … Much less expensive and much better." But Trump’s bill dramatically cuts funding for the poorest, while providing billions in tax relief for the wealthiest. The nonpartisan CBO estimates that 14M would lose their insurance next year and that the uninsured rate would nearly double by 2026. Companies could again sell policies that cover fewer services with higher deductibles and charge those without “continuous coverage” more. Many healthy and wealthy may benefit, but the older and poorer would be disproportionality negatively impacted. The CBO estimates that his bill would reduce the federal deficit, but at what cost to our health and our lives, particularly of those of us who are most vulnerable?

Prof. Sarah Curi (HSSP) is a lecturer in Health: Science, Society and Policy as well as Legal Studies.

Apoorva Polavarapu ’17

The United States’ health care expenditures are ‘yuge,’ and the newly proposed AHCA could only worsen our plight. By empowering 20 million Americans with insurance, the ACA promotes preventative care, a direct route to reducing healthcare costs. More Americans receive basic checkups and screenings that detect disease early on and allow patients to manage illness before their health worsens and treatment becomes unaffordable. The AHCA boasts its own budget-savings by lowering premiums and regulating tax credits, notably preventing tax credits for plans that cover abortion. As defenders of social justice, Brandeisians may instinctively oppose the AHCA, but it is important to acknowledge many Americans’ frustrations with the ACA. Doctors feel overextended by patient volume and Americans want more insurance options, but the AHCA is not the best solution. The AHCA marginalizes poor and elderly populations, amassing greater healthcare costs and a sicker American public.

Apoorva Polavarapu ’17 is an Undergraduate Departmental Representative for Health: Science, Society and Policy. She is also vice-president of the Pre-Dental Society and a Global Brigades volunteer.

Taminder Singh ’20

The American Health Care Act should be said as it is, a tax break on wealthy insurance executives and rich, healthy people. Under the AHCA, a 64-year-old making around $25,000 will have to pay $14,000 in insurance premiums compared to pays only $1700 under Obamacare, aka the Affordable Care Act. It is disapproved by an overwhelming number of Americans and is clearly not feasible, because even moderate Republicans like Rand Paul have publicly come out against it. President Obama was proud of Obamacare and willingly put his name on it, but Trump does not want this failure on sight to be called Trumpcare. Obamacare helps most low income minorities and changes the political conversation to “does everyone deserve health insurance” to “at what price can everyone pay for health insurance, because everyone deserves it.” All in all, this bill takes as many steps back from the progress we made as a nation, and reveals the selfishness and lengths GOP populists are willing to go to, to save a little more money in taxes.

Taminder Singh ’20 is majoring in Economics and Computer Science with a minor in Politics.