Happy Anniversary!

Typically, anniversaries are celebrated and recognized as a light-hearted and happy event. Well, that is not the case for the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Republicans are holding a public hearing in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania exactly one year after the law was established. In this very upfront blog, Ethan Rome expresses his disgust with the Republican Party and their decision to host this event. He talks about a family that ended up going bankrupt because both of their daughters were diagnosed with leukemia. Rome states that Republicans "don't care" about families like this and are only interested in turning back the progress that the Democratic party has since created with this law. He seems extremely disgruntled, as am I, by the fact that Republicans want to repeal the part of this act that forces insurance companies to cover patients with pre-existing conditions, arguably one of the most valuable provisions. It does not make sense to me for the Republican Party to fight so avidly to stop something that does so much good for the sick and even dying. I understand that there are economic repercussions, but the Health Care system undoubtedly needed reform, and almost everyone agreed about that when Obama ran for President. I do not, and probably will not ever, understand how a human being can look at all the facts and see that this act will help so many desperate families and still want to prevent it from fulfilling its intended purpose. To me, that is pure selfishness and lack of compassion. I would like to say to those people who want to stop the Affordable Care Act, "How would you like to look your child in the face and say, 'Oh sorry, we don't have the money to make you better. We did have a chance, but the Republican Party decided that we do not deserve extra help.'" Yes, it is expensive. What does saving a life cost? How do you live knowing that someone could have been saved with the help of this law? For me, I would rather be on the team that was behind the law, supporting something that saves lives as opposed to trying to get rid of someone's only chance of survival. Rome seems to agree with me on this point. I feel like he is targeting Republicans with this article by trying to explain the ways that this law helps individuals in need. However, one could argue that he is trying to reach a Democratic audience; emphasizing that the Affordable Care Act is something that needs constant reinforcement, or else it will fail.