Local doctors spoke out in favor of the Affordable Care Act, or ACA for short, and against the threat of former President Donald Trump imposing to repeal the bill that has granted millions of Pennsylvanian’s affordable healthcare.
The legislation turned 14 on Thursday.
The doctors, joined by Sen. Vincent Hughes, stood firmly as he spoke about the position of the Affordable Care Act’s implementation in the state and how its significance to residents was able to improve the lives of many.
“Over a million people who didn’t have health insurance got [it] almost at the snap of their fingers,” Hughes said.
“As we go forward, we know that there’s a stark difference between the candidates for president. One being our president, Joe Biden, who is fighting to protect the Affordable Care Act, fighting to expand the Affordable Care Act, and has had significant accomplishments in his term in office.”
Under the Biden Administration, there have been lowered prescription drug costs and insulin prices capped at $35 a month. Roughly 21 million people have enrolled in the ACA marketplaces this year. Particularly for Black and Latino Americans, they have seen large increases in enrollment.
Trump has zoned on his plans in his campaign to repeal ACA. During his time in office, Trump successfully undermined the act, which lead to a drop in enrollment and consequently weakened protections for people with pre-existing conditions. He was just one vote short of total ACA repeal in 2017.
“He’s prepared to jeopardize free preventive care like cancer screenings, checkups and cholesterol tests for over 150 million Americans, and he’s prepared to cause uninsurance rates for communities of color to skyrocket,” Hughes said.
Doctors from the area spoke about their experiences with patients who were able to get necessary treatment through the program.
Dr. Jessica Clemmons, an OBGYN, disclosed how her patients have little to no co-pay when getting their chosen method of birth control. The set-up prior to the program would be roughly $1,000 for patients.
“In our country, we have an unacceptably high maternal mortality rate,” Clemmons said. “What is even more appalling is that Black women in the United States are three to four times more likely than white women to die in childbirth. The changes that came with the ACA helped to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality rates not only because more women get prenatal care, but also because they can now afford the recommended prenatal testing to keep them and their babies healthy and safe.”
Clemmons noted the most recent Biden Administration act on March 18 where President Biden signed a $200 million executive order to advance research in women’s health and First lady Jill Biden’s announcement of $100 million in funding for women’s health last month.
Dr. Ben Abella, an emergency physician based in West Philadelphia for the last 20 years, spoke about an anonymous patient who was able to get treatment for diabetes through the program, an option that was not available to him before the enactment of the bill.
“The ACA taken by President Biden has improved outcomes for millions in our country, and that is why I’m here today to proudly support the ACA and to support President Biden who wishes to improve healthcare and expand and strengthen the ACA for millions of people in the United States,” he said.
Medical student Taylor Brown spoke about how ACA helped her during her time in high school finally seeking treatment for her and her four siblings since her diagnosis of psoriasis. Through ACA she was able to get through college without worrying about high costs of paying for university-affiliated health care costs.
“Communities all across the state and all across the country, because of the economic challenges of Black and brown communities, this great equalizer in the Affordable Care Act is able to overcome that,” said Hughes. “The access to prescription drugs and insulin has a huge impact on Black and brown communities. There’s still more to be done and we’re working to do that.”
