This week, the GOP is going to try to move on repealing the ACA. Let’s talk about all of the many reasons we need Obamacare to stick around.

Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House (Public domain image by Pete Souza.)

Okay, this is a big one. Unless you have just emerged from a cave, covered in years of dirt and with a glorious, trailing beard, you’ve probably heard a thing or two about the Affordable Care Act.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – commonly shortened to the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare” – is a federal statute signed into law on March 23, 2010. It is one of the most significant changes to the United States healthcare system since Medicare and Medicaid passed in 1965.

The ACA was created with the intent of insuring all Americans, regardless of age, gender, race, income level, and more. To do so, it relies on a long and sometimes complex series of mandates, subsidies, and a health care insurance marketplace.

Unsurprisingly for such a monumental piece of legislation, the ACA has become highly controversial. Some people are in favor of it. They cite new protections for pre-existing conditions, minors, disabled people, and improved access to preventive care, among others. Opponents, however, say that the ACA is too expensive and unwieldy to continue. Numerous politicians, including 45th President Donald Trump, were elected in part because they have vowed to repeal Obamacare. Currently, the fate of the Affordable Care Act is uncertain. With a majority-Republican Congress and a Republican Executive Branch, some sort of change to the ACA is certain.

However, we’re here today to argue in favor of the ACA. It’s introduced some truly momentous and much-needed changes into American health care. While the legislation is far from perfect, repeal of the ACA could be disastrous for millions of Americans.

Now, here is a big, flashing red caveat. The Affordable Care Act is a complicated behemoth. Its changes and new rules can sometimes seem labyrinthine, but that is in part because our nation and the American people are also complicated. From our genetics, to our families, to our communities, no two of us are exactly alike. We all have different needs, especially when it comes to our personal health care.

The way the ACA affects one person could differ wildly from the way it affects another. Furthermore, like any health care overhaul, it has to deal with both existing programs and the eternal, grinding gridlock of federal politics.

This is all to say that Obamacare is far from perfect. But, were our previous options better? Yes, plans now can still be confusing and expensive. However, someone is far less likely to be denied coverage and suffer through a painful existence (if not an unnecessary death) thanks to Obamacare.

Wouldn’t it be preferable to let the ACA stick around and work to improve its weak spots, rather than repealing it entirely? Perhaps you don’t agree with one or many of the changes engendered by Obamacare.