Since the beginning of 2017 and as President Obama’s term comes to a close, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate has pushed to repeal Obamacare, and conservatives across the country are rejoicing. They celebrate the end of an error, roll their eyes at liberal snowflakes complaining on social media, and they thank god they’re covered under the Affordable Care Act. Starting to see the problem here? For anyone who wasn’t aware, yes, the Affordable Care Act and Obamacare are two names used interchangeably to refer to the same healthcare reform law seeking to make healthcare more affordable and more accessible. If you aren’t quite sure what the Affordable Care Act does, you can click here to read up on any answers to questions you might have.
One Facebook post in particular has gone viral after a user apparently was not aware that the two were one in the same and responded to a comment slamming the Senate for voting to repeal Obamacare. He begins his post by writing:
“Jesus, where to start? First, we’re talking about Obamacare, not the ACA. Secondly, my health insurance is through the ACA, so I’m definitely not the kind of person to look down on others for needing help.”
The sad thing about his post is that he’s not the only American out there that had mistakenly believed Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act aren’t the same thing. Back in 2013, Jimmy Kimmel sent a camera crew out to the streets of Hollywood to ask people’s opinions about Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act. And a lot of people’s answers sounded an awful lot like this guy’s Facebook post. (You can watch the full clip here.) And apparently not much has changed since then. There has been such a stigma around Obamacare that has made people oppose it even if they agree with what it’s doing. Contrary to popular belief, Obamacare isn’t just for the “lazy” or the “liberals” and “Democrats” or the “poor people”. Anyone can benefit from Obamacare, and apparently people have without even realizing it.
These people are unaware that they, along with 20 million or so other Americans, stand to lose health coverage if the Republicans are successful in repealing Obamacare. And while it’s easy to laugh at his Facebook post or the answers they gave Jimmy Kimmel, that won’t help anyone in the long run. The fact that 20 million Americans’ health coverage is on the line is not a laughing matter. What will help is to educate the people that harbor misconceptions about Obamacare and to speak up about why Obamacare should stay by talking to your state representatives. (To find your senators by state you can click here and to find your house representative by zip code you can click here.) With a country already so divided, getting involved in causes you believe in is more important now than ever. Stand with, educate, and support 20 million fellow Americans.
Comments are closed.