In an op-ed at The Hill, Leader Dr. Joe Chuman criticizes Conservative attempts to destroy the Affordable Care Act–even now in the midst of a raging, historic pandemic:
Not only could Trump’s timing not be worse politically, but it is a moral abomination. More than 40 million Americans have lost their jobs as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. With a health insurance system in which coverage for many is tagged to employment, the loss of a job also means the loss of healthcare. In this reality, purchasing Obamacare or accessing Medicaid, which has been expanded by Obamacare for those states who opted in, can be the only lifeline. The overturning of Obamacare, however, will leave 23 million stripped of coverage and will, once again, permit insurance companies to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. This will leave a staggering 133 million Americans potentially bereft of health insurance.
[…]The common obligation to support the health of all our citizens would move us ahead in creating a decent society. The absence of that guarantee, and moreover eliminating the ability of people to safeguard their health, especially in the midst of the pandemic and in a time of economic crisis and heightened anxiety, is morally reprehensible.
