persuasive essay (Essay Sample)

Reasons against Repealing the Affordable Care Act
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Reasons against Repealing the Affordable Care Act
President Barrack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010. The legislation, also known as ACA or “Obamacare,” was a milestone in the country’s history, as for the first time, there is a requirement for healthcare insurance for all Americans. The benefits of ACA include expanding the number of insured Americans by over 20 million. Nonetheless, the benefits of ACA do not prevent some Americans from raising questions about its implementation and effectiveness. Since its inception, there have been continuous debates on whether to repeal or replace the ACA, with the opponents of the legislation enjoying the support of the Trump presidency. Other discussions have raised similar concerns but use a different approach of calling for repair and improve through further exploration of the law and making modifications that benefit society. The benefits of ACA weigh its limitations and should not be repeal and replaced.    
Healthcare issues have always been a continuous debate in the United in the last century with topics such as healthcare insurance, premium cost, Medicare and Medicaid Services, healthcare access for underserved and disadvantaged populations, and healthcare reforms taking center stage. Interest by politicians to implement universal healthcare insurance at the federal level started before the mid-19th century, but none of the plans came to fruition. Most notable was the proposal presented by Congress on universal health coverage and its implementation during Harry S. Truman’s presidency (Taylor, 2014). The dream was achieved deceased later what the ACA was enacted into law in 2010.  
The Benefits of ACA
The overall benefit of the ACA is its core: it makes it possible for all Americans to have a legal right to accessible health insurance (Gluck, 2012). The benefits of ACA include the provision of free preventative services and wellness examinations, reducing Medicaid and Medicare abuse, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and supporting quality improvement initiatives for hospitals and providers (Obama, 2016). ACA offers incentives for Medicare Advantage Plans and hospitals to improve care and coordination of medical care. 
The most significant impact of the ACA among the American population is its provision of near-universal coverage to society. It ensures that all people have insurance and can access emergency care, preventive services, and receive the necessary continued care, and care for pre-existing conditions (Obama, 2016). Populations that particularly benefit from the ACA are the younger generation, people with pre-existing conditions, and early retirees. 
Young people remain under the coverage of their parents’ insurance until the age of 26, which allows them to have more time studying without the stress of paying for insurance (Obama, 2016). The pre-existing coverage prohibits insurers from charging higher premiums for people with pre-existing conditions. By doing this, the ACA achieves its ultimate goal of reducing the rate of uninsured Americans. The ACA makes illegal the previous practice by insurers to deny such people insurance due to mistakes and technical errors. 
Also, the ACA expands coverage for early retirees below the age of 65, which is the eligibility age for Medicare. ACA creates programs to preserve employer coverage for the early retirees and their spouses and dependents (Obama, 2016). In the absence of such programs, the retirees would lose their savings to the high insurance rates in the market place. Additionally, the elderly are also beneficiaries of ACA. For example, the legislation establishes guidelines and programs that curb elder abuse, which include the Adult Protective Services (APS) and the Elder Justice Coordinating Council and Advisory Board.  
The ACA is also beneficial to healthcare providers. The implementation of the ACA also aims to reconstitute the healthcare workforce by utilizing incentives to increase the number of nurses, physician assistants, doctors, health managers, and alternative health clinicians by funding scholarships, grants, and loans. The ACA also targets Medicaid by raising payments to primary care providers as a result of the number of people covered by the program. 
The Challenges of ACA
Over the years, ACA has faced criticism due to the various challenges it faces in its implementation. Parties and individuals pushing for its repeal cite these challenges as the main reason for their stance against the legislation. The challenges include political divide in its support from the onset, its fiscal impact at both the state and federal level, and court rulings that do not favor some aspects of its implementation. 
The greatest challenge to the implantation of the ACA is the political divide it has faced since its drafting. The basis of the political argument is its impact on federalism. The proponents of repeal of the ACA argue that the legislation weakens federalism by blurring the lines between state and federal law (Bagley, 2017). According to this group, the best way to safeguard federalism and its benefits is to separate state law from federal law as opposed to state law participating in federal law, as seen in the implementation of ACA. States are responsible for making critical decisions in the ACA, such as expanding Medicaid and whether to create an insurance exchange (Holahan, 2012). The impact of the political divide manifests itself in the way some states support and commit to the implementation of ACA and expand access to affordable insurance while others show little or no support.  
Another challenge of the ACA is its fiscal impact on both state and national levels. Compared to the previous law, the ACA worsens the fiscal position of the federal government. Although beneficial to the public and the healthcare system, the financial cost of implementing ACA is overly dependent on federal funds (Blahous, 2012). Additionally, the ACA makes insurance more affordable by offering refundable tax credits, with the option of applying tax credits to personal premium payments or for households. The ACA keeps the cost of insurance down through competitive pricing options offered by insurance exchanges and prohibiting insurance companies from rescinding coverage.   
An additional challenge to the implementation of the ACA is the Federal Court rulings. Since its inception, various court rulings have had an impact on the implementation of the ACA. For example, the Supreme Court in National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v. Sebelius allowed states to choose whether to expand Medicaid; and permitted healthcare packages to exclude contraceptives for medical reasons in Hobby Lobby v. Burwell (Bagley, 2017). Also, a District Court Judge in Texas was of the view that ACA is invalid concerning $0 tax linked to its individual mandate (Keith, 2018).   
Effects of Repealing ACA
Repeal of ACA would allow each person to decide whether to pay their healthcare costs with cash or through healthcare insurance. The situation is optimal for people who make out of pocket payments for healthcare or the young, healthy people with minimal medical costs. However, this would lead to a rise in the medical costs for the sick, imposing an unbearable financial burden. The ACA addresses the imbalance in healthcare needs by requiring all people to have health insurance. As such, the contribution of healthy people to the healthcare insurance market helps offset the additional costs for the sick, who would otherwise find it challenging to afford insurance and treatment.  
Repealing ACA would offer more choices where an individual can shop for insurance plans that closely fit their needs. There are limited insurance options for patients to choose from under the ACA. Healthcare exchange providers continue to pull out of the ACA market, even in states such as New York, Massachusetts, and California that have at least five exchange carriers for individuals to choose from. 18% of Americans have no choice but to stick to the solitary exchange carrier that provides coverage across all counties in the respective state.    
Young people and those with preexisting conditions would be the biggest losers if ACA were to be repealed. With the absence of the contribution from healthy people, insurers would raise rates for the sick to keep the business raking profits. The implication is that patients who require regular treatment due to pre-existing conditions would no longer afford to pay the treatment. As such, the patient’s family would have to make a difficult choice between imminent death and financial ruin.  
ACA’s Replacements
The legislation seeking to repeal and replace