Presentation
Overview of the Issue
- Over 3.6 million nurses oppose the AHCA
- AHCA threatens the quality, access, and delivery of healthcare
- Changes will not improve healthcare for American People
- AHCA will have far-reaching effects on the lives of millions of people
- AHCA should be repealed
Brief History and Importance
- It was voted to pass on May 4, 2017
- Partially repeals the ACA introduced by Obama
- Would decrease budget deficit by 119 billion
- 23 million people would remain uninsured
- It is viewed unfavorably by the majority of the population
Details and Examples of the Policy
- Medicaid payments cut by 25-30%
- Substantially reduces the number of persons covered by medical insurance
- Proposes lower-quality insurance for the elderly, the poor, and the young
- Repeals income-based subsidies
- Eliminates the Prevention and Public Health Fund
Potential Implications for the Issue
- Over 23 million Americans would lose their coverage
- The potential loss of work among the medical staff
- Increased mortality and morbidity rates
- Quality of service decline
- Healthcare becomes unavailable to those who need it the most
How does it affect the Nursing Perspective?
- Nurses become unable to provide quality healthcare because of payment restrictions.
- Increased burnout rates among nursing staff
- The bill goes against the principles of healthcare.
- Bi-partisan healthcare experts were not consulted.
- The opinions of the population were ignored.
Conclusion
- ANA reaffirms its opposition to the AHCA
- AHCA is an inefficient bill with fatal flaws
- Its application would lead to a drastic healthcare decline.
- It goes against the tenets of healthcare and medicine.
- It should be repealed.
Speech
The USA is known for its expenditures on healthcare. At the same time, it is known for its healthcare services being unattainable to large and vulnerable groups of people, such as the poor, the elderly, the young, as well as the low-income working families and single parents (“ANA principles,” n.d.). The Affordable Care Act (ACA), introduced and signed by President Obama in 2010, was not perfect.
However, it managed to reduce the number of uninsured population by nearly 24 million people (“Health insurance,” 2016). The American Healthcare Act of 2017(AHCA), promoted by President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, is aiming to undo all progress achieved by the ACA. The nursing community strongly opposes this act, as it would have far-reaching consequences on the lives of millions of people. We urge the people and legislators alike to unite in opposition to the bill until it is repealed.
Brief History and Importance
The bill was passed in the House of Representatives with a narrow margin of 213 to 217 votes, on May 4, 2017 (“American healthcare,” 2017). Honoring his promise to fight Obamacare, President Trump and the Republican Party are planning to use this bill to partially repeal the changes introduced to the federal healthcare system by the Affordable Care Act of 2010. While the bill is promising to decrease the healthcare budget deficit by 119 billion, it also promises drastic changes to the number of people covered by the new Medicaid and Medicare policies. It is estimated that 23 million people would lose their insurances or be forced to apply for cheaper coverage. Because of this, the majority of the population (50 to 60 percent, according to all the major polls) are opposing the AHCA (Reid, 2017).
Details and Examples of the Policy
The AHCA promises major cuts to almost every area of medical care. Medicaid payments, which the majority of the poor and vulnerable populations rely upon, will be cut by 25-30 percent (“American healthcare,” 2017). This will substantially reduce the number of people covered by adequate medical insurance. The vulnerable groups hit by these changes would be those who need it the most – the elderly, the low-income families, and the children. In addition, the bill proposes the elimination of the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which sponsored interventions and research in chronic disease prevention and mental health (“American healthcare,” 2017).
Potential Implications for the Issue
As it was already mentioned, should the AHCA be adopted, over 23 million Americans would lose healthcare coverage, which would effectively undo everything that ACA did in the past 7 years (“American nurses,” 2017). In addition to that, the cuts towards the healthcare sector would mean the loss of work for nurses and medical staff. These measures would affect the overall level of healthcare and would increase mortality and morbidity rates among the populace. The price for decreasing the budget deficit would be too high.
How does it affect the Nursing Perspective?
The very nature of the bill goes against what the American Nursing Association stands for, as it does not seek to improve or promote healthcare. Instead, it seeks to curtail it for numerous people, including the elderly, women, and children. In addition, it would inevitably produce situations where nurses would be unable to provide advanced medical help due to the fact that most patients would not appear at the hospitals, knowing they do not have the appropriate healthcare coverage. This will be a significant morale shock, as the majority of the nurses adhere to the holistic and Christian values of medicine (“American nurses,” 2017).
Conclusion
The American Association of Nurses reaffirms its stance against the AHCA in its current form. It is a bill that would cause dramatic healthcare decline across the country. It does not benefit anybody except for the government, which is more concerned with reducing budget deficit rather than protecting its people. It goes against the very tenets of healthcare and medicine that we as nurses and physicians were sworn to uphold. We urge you, the people, and the lawmakers present among the audience to lend us your support and continue to oppose the implementation of AHCA on all levels until it is repealed.
Why did I choose this Subject?
The opposition to the AHCA is the single most important legislative confrontation that ANA is engaged in at this moment. All other considerations and bills of lesser importance are considered secondary. I believe that until we have an all-inclusive and comprehensible bill in place, the situation with America’s healthcare system will only get worse. I have always supported a holistic and all-inclusive approach to healthcare.
It is not a service that fits well into the current model of Free Market, as it operates on Christian values of love, care, and compassion. Our country is considered the richest in the world. We spend great amounts of taxpayer money on healthcare. We should be able to afford an all-inclusive healthcare system with a private medical sector for those who can afford it. I believe that instead of cutting the budget and depriving millions of people of their healthcare coverage, the government should focus on reducing costs by optimizing the current system, removing the barriers between patients and healthcare specialists, and ensuring a healthy and prosperous future for our nation.
References
American healthcare act of 2017. (2017). Web.
American nurses association strongly opposes new health care reform bill. (2017). Web.
ANA principles of healthcare system reform. (n.d.). Web.
Health insurance coverage and the affordable care act, 2010 – 2016. (2016). Web.
Reid, J. (2017). Opposition to AHCA has doubled among GOP voters since April. Web.