Over the past few years we have repeatedly listened to Republicans complain about The Affordable Care Act, which has become more commonly known as “Obamacare”. Recently, a plan to “repeal and replace” The Affordable Care Act has been released and it is FAR from perfect. The plan, known as The American Health Care Act or “Trumpcare”, poses a huge threat to a large number of people suffering from mental illnesses. For years so many people have ignored mental illness as a serious issue in the United States.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 18.5 percent of U.S. adults experience mental illness in a given year. This number may be surprising, but the percentage only increases as socioeconomic status lowers. Because there is such an obvious correlation between poverty and mental illness, it is important that those with low incomes receive the attention and care the not only need, but deserve.
Medicaid is the single largest payer for mental health services in the United States and has proven to help so many Americans receive services that are crucial to their well-being. Trumpcare would lead to a cap on Medicaid, which essentially means that the number of people receiving these services would be limited to a number decided by each individual state. So many people depend on Medicaid to pay for mental health services, and under the policies introduced by Trumpcare, millions of people will lose their insurance and will not be able to afford the services they desperately need. These services range from substance abuse programs to treatment for illnesses such as anxiety, PTSD and depression.
The stigma surrounding mental illness makes it a difficult issue to discuss because it is often discredited and is associated with negative stereotypes. By making the transition to a per capita allotment under Trumpcare, mental illness is being discredited as a real issue. Mental illness affects millions of Americans in many different ways and denying these people the right to services provided by Medicaid is a discriminatory act. Just like physical disease, mental illness affects people every day. Trumpcare poses threats to Medicaid that will directly affect millions suffering from mental illnesses.
Mental illness is a real issue and those who suffer from mental illnesses deserve proper treatment regardless of their socioeconomic status.
