Every day, millions of Americans deal with expensive health care treatments, often with high deductibles or little to no help from insurance companies at all for preexisting conditions.
On June 28, the Supreme Court declared the Affordable Care Act, which was passed by President Obama two years ago, to be constitutional. This court case had me on the edge of my seat, and I was elated to hear this news. Since the developing stages of healthcare reform there has been debate over the constitutionality of the act.
As a female student, I view the ACA as a positive move for this country. The ACA benefits millions of Americans in many different ways. Most of all, the ACA makes insurance available and affordable for all Americans.
One group of particular interest to University of Wyoming students is young adults. People under the age of 26 are the least likely group to have health insurance, and because of the ACA we can now be covered under our parents’ plans. UW students have access to student health coverage through the university, but depending on individual student needs it doesn’t always provide the best coverage. For example, I am thrilled to now be on my mom’s vision, dental and medical plan, a better fit for me, through her employer.
The ACA is also very important for women. Through this act, women will have affordable and guaranteed access to preventative care, such as mammograms and pap tests, and birth control. There has been much debate on the morality of this issue, and I really don’t think it’s anyone’s business if and why a woman is taking birth control. While I completely respect all religious beliefs, I also believe that disallowing a female employee access to birth control goes against her individual rights. I feel that if a business offers an insurance plan, then they are obligated to provide complete coverage to all employees. The decision to take birth control is personal and should not be decided for a woman by her employer. Birth control is prescribed for many reasons; for the obvious reason of contraception, as well as to reduce acne and provide relief from menstrual migraines and cramping.
People with preexisting conditions are also greatly affected by the ACA. In 2014, insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate against people with preexisting conditions by denying them coverage. This is an issue near and dear to my heart, and it frustrates me to watch people I care about—even people I don’t know—struggle with financing their healthcare. People who have preexisting conditions need health insurance the most. Today, pre-ACA, a person only gets as much care as they can afford. If they can’t afford an expensive infusion treatment to ease their arthritis pain: too bad. If they can’t afford weekly chemo treatments: forget about it.
In a public statement issued by Governor Matt Mead, he said he was disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision. “I believe the ACA is not a good fit for Wyoming citizens and we must continue to work on solutions developed in Wyoming,” Mead said. While I respect his opinion, I feel he is holding Wyoming and its citizens back from what we need in order to develop and grow.
When looking at healthcare around the world, the U.S. is lagging behind. Our peers have adopted a universal healthcare system in some form or another. Countries throughout most of Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even parts of South America have a universal healthcare system in place. Current countries in the process of obtaining a universal healthcare system, but do not currently have one, include South Africa, India, Thailand, Mexico, Iran… and the United States.
I am a strong believer in equal rights for all people, and the U.S. claims to believe in this as well. However, when it comes to healthcare in our country a person’s worth is defined by how much dough they can put on the table. Joe Blow can’t get a liver transplant if he can’t pay for it out of pocket, and Jane Doe can’t get birth control if she can’t afford to pay for it 100 percent. There is something wrong with this: where is the equality? We need to come together and stand up for one another, rather than only looking out for number one.
After all, our very nation’s pledge of allegiance concludes “…with liberty and justice for all.”
