Many individuals are anxious at the current state of affairs transpiring in the United States with the transition of the new presidential administration. These concerns can be found  both domestically and internationally. There is also a pervasive uneasiness of the role the administration will have in impacting the country in the years to come. However, this trepidation is not at all uncommon among Americans when a new president begins his term in office. Yet, it is a highly held view that as human beings, each of us have a substantial fear of the unknown.

According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted last May and sent to 2,000 Americans,  their number one fear  was ISIS. A study conducted by Chapman University in Oct. 2016 found that 60.0% of Americans feared corrupt politicians, 37.5% feared economic or financial collapse, and 41% feared terrorist attacks.

A major fear that has taken hold recently for countless Americans concerns the prospect of repealing and dismantling Obamacare.

The negative effects of repealing Obamacare have far-reaching implications for millions of Americans. In this article, I will not refer to future plans of a new national medical system as they have not yet been provided to the American public . I will only talk of the dangers of completely ridding the country of a system that has saved millions of lives.

The list below outlines the negative effects of repealing Obamacare:

1. Those who are currently receiving financial assistance from the government could lose their coverage immediately with the new presidential administration. This will affect more than 20+ million people, according to the Obama Care Facts website.
2. Repealing Obamacare without replacement will drain $145 billion from healthcare providers in 2019 alone says Roll Call, a website devoted to news on Capital Hill
3. It could damage Trump’s chance of winning a second term: most people, I would say, enjoy receiving healthcare. If the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is repealed without an efficient system, he may lose popularity in the coming years.
4. Health insurance premiums would increase by 50% over the next year, stated by Business Insider.
5. HIV patients would be further at-risk if there was a loss to the ACA funding research and programs to help HIV positive patients get medical treatment, says Huffington Post.
6. The new administration could potentially defund Planned Parenthood whose principal medical services provide cancer screening, mammograms and other women’s health issues reports The Chicago Tribune.
7. Businesses with more than 50 employees must offer health insurance, but these companies receive tax credits to help with the costs as noted in The Balance.
8. Obamacare extended the age that adolescents can receive healthcare (now 26) through their parents’ plans, said The Balance.

In any controversial debate, however, it is always worthwhile to consider reasons many Americans believe that the  Affordable Care Act is or can ever be successful.

1.  The first and most obvious reason, according to the Huffington Post, is partisanship. It is no coincidence that more Republicans are in favor of repealing the ACA than Democrats.
2. Those who don’t receive Obamacare are taxed by the government as stated in The Balance.
3. Higher income families pay additional Medicaid taxes according to The Balance.

Ultimately, if Obamacare is repealed, there will be many negative effects, especially to low-income families. In this heated debate, however, it is always helpful to understand the other side. For, through doing so, we may encounter realizations that may sway us.