The first day to enroll in the Affordable Healthcare Act is on Oct. 1. Citizens of the United States will be required to sign up for an insurance policy under the ACA. The act hopes to make health care affordable for Americans.

Free preventative services for wellness visits and cancer screenings will be in place. Along with that, people who have pre-existing conditions will not be denied coverage.

The ACA is a step in the right direction. Following World War II, most countries signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was created so everyone could have access to health care. The United States, however, did not sign it.

Health care in the United States has become an enterprise that is not available to all Americans.

It’s a business that has denied people for pre-existing conditions on the idea that a profit could not be made from them.

It is about time that our health care system became more patient oriented versus business oriented. The fact is that these are lives that insurance companies would gamble upon, not some number or statistic.

“Patients will have better care by beginning with preventative measures. They can retain their coverage despite life threatening conditions. Before the ACA, companies could place a lifetime cap. Now patients can have a peace of mind knowing that they will be covered and that their coverage will not be terminated,” Zulema Vega, a registered nurse of the Childrens’ Hospital Los Angeles, said.

The ACA has some budgetary concerns. The White House explained in a press release where the money comes from. Funds were put into this act and invested into public health. Budgetary concerns are expected, especially when our government has an increasing debt ceiling.

“I just worry that the quality of our health care may go down since now we have so many people signing up at once to get coverage. Will there be long lines when I want a simple check-up? I think these are valid concerns,” junior Mary Wakabayashi said.

Our country is finally heading up to speed with the rest of the first world by jumping onboard with a change in the insurance industry.

Affordable health care benefits us all by making sure our neighbor doesn’t get sick and by insuring that if anything were to happen to a family member, bankruptcy wouldn’t be the first route of action.

“It’s nice to know I’ll be covered on my parent’s insurance plan until I’m 26. It’s one less thing to worry about,” junior Jill Sessions said.

Despite budgetary concerns, it definitely is nice to know that another bill won’t be stacked upon my student loans until I’m 26. Along with that, a person could retire early if needed and not have to worry about postponing that until of Medicare age at 68. Tax incentives on small business are another perk to this act.

“There is a concern for those that work in the field that the budget and resources for non-profit hospitals, such as CHLA, may not keep up with the demand. It could stretch our resources even further and possibly lower the quality of care,” Vega said.

Though it has flaws and things that need to be worked out, the Affordable Healthcare Act is a step in the right direction.

Berlin Galvan
Staff Writer
Published Oct. 2, 2013