What are your thoughts of the current attacks on the Affordable Care Act?

Hello members,

As many of you are aware, there are current attacks on the Affordable Care Act, which if the attacks are successful could lead to some changes and uncertaintity for millions of Americans, including those with pre-existing conditions.

What is your view of the current attacks against the ACA? What is your view of the healthacare in general in the United States? How can we improve healthcare in the United States?

Great question as this is such an important issue and topic. I think the ACA did a lot of great things to make our health care much better for the present time. 

I definitely feel pre-existing conditions must continue to be covered... no American should be forced to not have health care or be forced to only have health care through employment... 

I think we need to continue to work for better healthcare and affordable healthcare for all.

@jas__44‍ pre=existing conditions must be covered! The people want this and the administration should stop attacking the ACA!

Yes, cover pre existing conditions!   How about including cancer treatments for over age 76.

@Jackie44‍. Medicine should cover everything. We should be taxed so everyone can have a better, healthy, and less stressful life worried about finances when sick.

There has to be something done with healthcare. The ACA promised us that prices would go down. It didn't. Premiums continue to rise and drug prices are going thru the roof.  These are the main items that need to be looked at. We don't need to get rid of the ACA, but we need to find ways to lower costs for the drugs that we take and the premiums that we pay for.

@wreed61499 @Jackie44‍  @jas__44 

Did you hear about the new proposal to outline a plan to import lower cost drugs from Canada? These could include medications like insulin to treat diabetes, as well medications for rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer.

Americans pay on average $1,200 on prescription drugs per year, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, more than citizens in any other country. Pharmaceutical companies argue that high prices are the cost of innovation. However, a 2016 Harvard Medical School study blamed factors such as the US patent system, which grants makers "government-protected monopolies" through market exclusivity that lasts decades, and that unlike nearly every other advanced nation, the US health care system allows manufacturers to set their own prices rather than having to negotiate with a national health insurance systems.

Would importing lower cost drug form Canada so solve the problem?

Or is Universal Coverage (through a national health insurance system) a better option because it will require pharmaceutical companies to negotiate with a national health insurance system when setting prices of their prescription drugs instead of having no limit on how high the price can be?

Or instead, should there only be rules/limits set on how high a pharmaceutical company can set a price for a prescription drug, but not through a national health insurance system?

I know a lot of people, mainly senior citizens, who get their drugs from Canada thru the mail. This has been going on for a quite a few years. They tell me that their doctors encourage them to do this to save money. I know the drug companies spend a lot of money developing these drugs and they should be allowed to get some of that money back, plus a little more. But, they spend way too much money on ads that are all over the TV networks. They also spend money on food and other goodies on the doctors to try to get them to use their drugs. 

  I would not want a national health insurance system. I have a friend in Canada which has this system and he tells me that yes the price he pays is lower, but to try to get any type of surgery it takes many months to even get an appointment for that.  Is the trade off worth it?