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The United States Supreme Court is currently considering whether the healthcare reform act signed by President Obama in March 2010 is constitutional.  Although the act may not be perfect, it has made healthcare more accessible and affordable to millions of Americans, and has especially benefitted young adults.

 If the law is ruled unconstitutional, Republicans and Democrats will be back at square one when it comes to healthcare, and millions of Americans will loose their coverage.

Healthcare should be made available to every citizen of the United States. The Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” is a great step towards making good healthcare available for everyone, and if shot down by the Supreme Court it would put more pressure on the states to provide healthcare.

Obama’s current plan allows 2.5 million young adults to remain on their parents’ health insurance through age 26.  Many students (including me) rely on their parents’ health insurance for their medical care

Without this healthcare reform young adults under 26 years old without jobs that provide healthcare, would have to pay for healthcare on their own.  It also gives young adults without jobs the ability to stay on their parents’ health care as long as they are full time students.

The White House website states that: “Under the law, most young adults who can’t get coverage through their jobs can stay on their parents’ plans until age 26 – a change that has already allowed 2.5 million young adults to get health coverage and given their families peace of mind.”

             Along with young adults, 17.6 million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage because of their condition. The act also makes 54 millions Americans eligible to receive preventive services like cancer screening at no additional costs.  All this information and more are available on the White House website

             President Obama commented on the Supreme Court review at a recent press conference saying, “I’m confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress.” “It is constitutional,” he added.

             According to Pew Research Center, 47 percent of Americans support the law.  A New York Times/CBS News poll found that large majorities of people in favor of certain parts of the law, such as letting young adults stay on their parents insurance and cutting the cost of prescriptions.

             Opponents to the bill point out the underestimated cost of providing healthcare to people who cannot afford to pay it themselves.  According to Mint.com, the act will cause a rise in taxes for only the wealthy.

The fact of the matter is this is the United States America, one of the most advanced nations in education and medicine. We should be able to provide affordable health care to those in need of it, and our government representatives need to work together to be sure that all citizens have an equal access to the care they need.

 

 

Sources

Pewresearch.com, Cnn.com, Whitehouse.gov, News-press.com, mint.com

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