NSG 4068 Week 3 Project – First Steps on Becoming a Grassroots Lobbyist/Advocate for Health Care Policy
I oppose the American Health Care Act (ACHCA) for the following reasons:
I believe that the AHCA shows discrimination towards the elderly who are not able to qualify for Medicare due to their age. The elderly will have to pay more for insurance than younger adults and children due to existing health conditions (Buchmueller et al., 2016).
I believe the AHCA is unfavorable for middle and lower-class Americans due to higher premiums that are harder to afford (Buchmueller et al., 2016).
This bill will allow people with pre-existing health problems to be charged more by insurers and possibly rejected for hospital admission costs (Engel, 2018).
AHCA will affect all individuals on Medicaid by making cuts to Medicaid and leaving many without health care (Buchmueller, 2017).
Pharmaceutical and insurance companies will both thrive due to the tax breaks that would be offered, and I do not think this is fair since insurance and the cost of medications are already so
Rationales for the Leave Behind
If passed, the AHCA shows discrimination toward the elderly who are not able to qualify for Medicare, and they will have to pay more for insurance than younger adults and children due to existing health conditions (Buchmueller et al., 2016). This is not fair, in my opinion. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows for all people to have insurance, whereas the AHCA offers insurance to individuals, which can be hard to afford for the lower and middle class.
Another rationale for not passing the AHCA is that it would affect the elderly who have pre-existing conditions, and insurance may not cover these (Engel, 2018). Insurance could also deny paying for certain medical expenses and even hospitalizations. Insurance premiums can be increased and not affordable. I do not think it is fair for the elderly to have to pay higher premiums due to pre-existing conditions. Younger adults and children will most likely have to pay less for insurance premiums.
Since AHCA will affect all individuals on Medicaid by making cuts to Medicaid and leaving many without health care, this is another reason I oppose it (Buchmueller et al., 2016). Medicaid funding could be affected tremendously, and this would impact the people who receive Medicaid. The elderly, low-income, dependents, and some pregnant women rely on Medicaid. If the funding for Medicaid is reduced, many could be left without insurance and a form to cover medical expenses (Buchmueller et al., 2016).
If the AHCA were passed, both pharmaceutical and insurance companies would thrive due to the tax breaks that would be offered. Insurance and the cost of medications both can be increased, affecting many Americans (Engel, 2018). The cost of prescriptions and insurance premiums, in general, are already high, and many cannot comfortably afford these. Many people do without the medications that they need due to the fact that they cannot afford them.
NSG 4068 Week 3 Project – First Steps on Becoming a Grassroots Lobbyist/Advocate for Health Care Policy
Brief with my Legislative Visit
During my legislative visit, I found that my legislative representative also opposed the AHCA. He has many reasons for voting against the AHCA. With the AHCA, there would have been up to 51 million people without insurance by the year 2026, which would be an increase from 28 million under the ACA (Norris, 2020). The elderly would most definitely be affected, as well as the lower income class. People with pre-existing conditions would be affected. This would include the elderly, disabled, and others with any pre-existing conditions (Engel, 2018). My legislative representative did not think this would be ethical or fair at all.
I found that my legislative representative also opposed the AHCA because insurance premiums and the cost of medical expenses would increase for many. Since ACA provided insurance for more Americans than ever in the United States, it was agreed that this was a big change for the people to have access to insurance. ACA was started in March 2010 and required everyone to have health coverage, or a penalty would be faced with income tax surcharges. This penalty was recently eliminated in 2019 by the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (Buchmueller et al., 2016). Since this was eliminated, my legislative representative felt that this was another reason that ACA was a better choice.
Medicaid is a primary source of healthcare for many Americans. I would be sure to speak with my legislative representative about this as I think it is very important. The AHCA would eliminate health care from many Americans by making cuts within the Medicaid program (Buchmueller et al., 2016). My legislative representative agrees that Medicaid cuts would definitely hurt many Americans. He doesn’t support the reduction of Medicaid funding. My legislative representative makes it aware that he believes in the use of Medicaid for the people who really need it, and it should not be taken for granted. With that being said, decreasing funds and other sources of cuts to Medicaid would affect many people’s healthcare in various ways.
Another concern I would speak with my legislative representative about is the fact that the pharmaceutical and insurance companies could profit if the AHCA went into effect. My legislative representative agrees that this is in fact, an issue that would have to be faced with the AHCA, and he opposes this as well. Many pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies have already increased costs that affect many Americans. Many Americans cannot afford their medications or their insurance premiums comfortably (Engel, 2018). This issue would become worse if the AHCA proposal was effective. The only ones that would benefit here would be the pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies. This would not be fair to the people who cannot afford these and to the elder who live on a fixed income. It would also cause a burden for single parents with children, children, and people with disabilities.
Last but not least, my legislative representative looked at various pros and cons of the AHCA. My legislature representative and I agree that there are more cons than pros for the American people. I can say that my legislative and I are glad that even though this bill passed in the House in 2017, it went no further once it reached the Senate (Norris, 2020). Health insurance and health reform will always be a topic in America that has its pros and cons. It is to our advantage to do what we think is best for all the American people who will be affected and not just a certain majority. My legislative representative agrees that with the AHCA, there are far too many cons. The prediction of the AHCA would have resulted in approximately 24 million additional Americans left uninsured by the year 2024 (Norris, 2020). After speaking to my legislative representative, I am pleased to see that he opposed the AHCA.
NSG 4068 Week 3 Project – First Steps on Becoming a Grassroots Lobbyist/Advocate for Health Care Policy
How Nursing Experience Influences Advocacy
In nursing, there are many underserved communities and patients. It is something that is seen every day, and though it is a sad situation, it’s the truth. I think that my nursing experience plays a great role in my advocacy to oppose the AHCA. I have witnessed patients face many challenges where they are not able to afford medications or don’t have transportation to see a doctor when needed. The elderly populations are living longer with more chronic conditions, and I think if the AHCA was passed, it would cause more burdens and hardships for them as well.
From a nurse’s perspective, I have to agree that it was best that the AHCA did not get passed and go into effect. As my legislative representative opposed the AHCA, I agree with this. America is supposed to do what is right for the people, and I think this was the right decision.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is also in agreement that opposing this bill was the right choice. While nurses can only do so much for the patients, I think that being an advocate is very important. I also think that we should do what is best for the patients and their health care. I think that many Americans do not get the health care they deserve, and this is not fair. I also think that pharmaceutical and insurance companies are persistently getting rich from these people.
I think most would agree that the AHCA had more cons than pros when looking at everything. It would have resulted in leaving many uninsured and not getting the health care they need. People with pre-existing conditions would be affected tremendously. This is a key reason that advocates say they chose to support and strengthen the ACA instead (Norris, 2020). When you look at the whole picture of what the AHCA would have resulted in, you can clearly see it was the right choice.
References
Buchmueller, T., Levinson, Z., Levy, H., and Wolfe, B. (2016). Effect of the Affordable Care Act on racial and ethnic disparities in health insurance coverage. American Journal of Public Health, 106(8), pp. 1416-1421. Doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303155
Engel, J. (2018). Unaffordable: American healthcare from Johnson to Trump. University of Wisconsin Press. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324992119_Unaffordable_American_Healthcar e_from_Johnson_to_Trump/citation/download
Norris, L. (2020). The American Health Care Act: A Blueprint for GOP Health Reform. Retrieved from https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-ahca-has-passed-the-house-now- what-4138613
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Question 
Write a two-page brief to describe the scenario surrounding your legislative visit. Understanding the political affiliation of your representative, include answers to the following: Was your member in support or in opposition to the AHCA? State three points that you would cover in support or opposition to your representative’s position. How does your nursing experience influence the advocacy position that you take on the AHCA?