In 2010, the advent of affordable health insurance was announced during Barack Obama’s first presidential term under the name Obamacare. After President Donald Trump was elected into office, he sought to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a new health insurance law within his first 100 days in office.

Eleven million American citizens, along with 700,000 New Jersey residents, feel concerned about their health care. The repeal is said to hurt New Jersey’s budget by $1 billion and this has caused a panic among many New Jersey residents.

The main goal of Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was to provide a more affordable healthcare for everyone. The idea was that American citizens from 26 years old to senior citizens in any health will only be charged a small amount, bringing down the price for all.

Another law the ACA chose to focus on was making sure a company who employed at least 50 people full-time must cover their employee’s health insurance. This law came into effect in 2015.

One of Trump’s spokeswomen indicated that Congress may switch federal Medicaid funding from current unlimited funding to a certain amount of money for each state to spend.

Kellyanne Conway, President Trump’s strategist, said “Block grants Medicaid to the states so people who are closest to those in need, through Medicaid, which guarantees health insurance to the poor – that those who are closest to the people in need will be administering it. You really cut out the fraud, waste and abuse and get the help directly to them.”

Many are worried about the taxes this will bring about to the states and how it will separate our united country.
Due to the fact many New Jersey residents do not feel comfortable not being protected by the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers and Obamacare supporters plan on trying to convince Governor Chris Christie and New Jersey’s congressional delegation to plead Trump not to get rid of coverage. They especially are advocating for the poor and chronically ill.

The House GOP is creating their own form of healthcare in place of Obamacare. “What we’re proposing will deliver the control and choice individuals and families need to access healthcare that’s right for them,” the statement said.

The GOP’s proposal defunds Planned Parenthood. This means that no federal funding can be made by Medicaid to any healthcare organization that provides for abortions. There is an exception for rape, incest, and or to save a mother’s life. This is only one of the many new ideas of the new healthcare that is being talked about in congress.

We talked to Obamacare user and mother of Freshman Sofia Papadopoulos, Nancy Broderick, to get an inside scoop on how Obamacare is impacting her life now and how a possible repeal may affect her in the future.

How long have you had Obamacare?
I have had Obamacare for two years

Did you always like having Obamacare? If not, when (if ever) did you begin to enjoy it?
I did not like having Obamacare in the beginning because none of my doctors that I had seen for years took that form of insurance, they all took major medical. After much searching I began to find doctors that I was comfortable with in that first year, but now I am back at square one because my primary care doctor and dentist no longer take Obamacare.

How will the repeal of Obamacare affect you?
I work as an independent contractor so a individual medical plan for me would be so expensive that is Obamacare is repealed. I will probably go back to being uninsured as I was for 7 years prior to receiving Obamacare. Living in Bergen County and being a single mother to 2 children does not allow much wiggle room in my budget for an insurance policy, thankfully my children are covered by their fathers insurance.

Do you have a plan about what health insurance you will switch to after the repeal (if any)?
I have no plan at this point and will probably go uninsured unless the new president reveals some amazing and affordable plan.

Has Obamacare helped you since 2014? If so, how?
Obamacare absolutely has helped me! I was uninsured for seven years and during those times I very rarely went to doctors, even when I was ill. Since having Obamacare I have been able to receive all my yearly exams and if there were some issues that needed to be taken care of they have been without me worrying if I would be able to pay the bills.