When We Lose Health Care, We All Pay the Price Meghan Hays and MeidasTouch Network Sep 29 Guest article by Meghan Hays, Democratic strategist and former special assistant to the president and director of message planning for President Joe Biden. Editorial credit: Christopher Penler / Shutterstock.com Donald Trump and the Republicans are about to oversee the largest healthcare cost increases in recent memory. And it’s important to remember this didn’t have to be. This was a policy choice made by the Republican Party to benefit their wealthiest donors and benefactors rather than serve the people’s interests. Here are the facts: Republicans are refusing to negotiate with Democrats on two things — the government’s funding and the Affordable Care Act’s healthcare premiums that will expire at the end of the year. Both of these will have devastating consequences for individuals who have healthcare-related costs (ALL OF US). It cannot be impressed upon you enough that health insurance is not just about doctor visits or paying for prescriptions. It is about whether people can keep working, keep their families afloat, and keep our economy moving in the right direction. When Americans lose their health care, it does not just hurt them, it hurts all of us. Think about it: an inability to pay for small health needs creates much larger health problems. And those increasing health problems don’t just affect the sick individual; they affect their family, friends, workplaces, and the economy at large. Let’s walk down this undesirable path for a moment. What happens if you cannot afford to get basic healthcare? If you can’t afford to see a doctor, small health problems turn into big ones. A cough becomes pneumonia. High blood pressure becomes a heart attack. When big health problems occur, people miss work, they leave jobs early, or they can’t work at all. The result? Fewer people earning paychecks, friends and family members forced to take care of the sick individual — causing them to work less. Now, fewer businesses are running at full strength, fewer people have the purchasing power to buy consumer goods, and an overall weaker economy is created for everyone. Already, nearly 4 in 10 adults carry crippling medical debt. This debt forces families to put off buying groceries, fixing their car, or paying rent because they are drowning. That lost spending does not just affect them — it means local shops make fewer sales, restaurants see fewer customers, and small businesses struggle. Medical debt takes money out of our communities and locks it away in collection agencies. Hospitals do not turn away patients. That’s a good thing. But just because a patient cannot pay doesn’t mean the bill gets left unpaid. As all economists say, “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” So here’s what happens: when patients cannot pay, hospitals pass on the costs. Insurance companies raise their premiums. Employers spend more on health benefits instead of raises. Taxpayers cover shortfalls. One way or another, we all end up paying for unpaid hospital visits. This is why Democrats are prepared to fight to protect affordable health care. They remember what it was like before the Affordable Care Act, when being sick could mean bankruptcy and “pre-existing condition” was a scarlet letter. Republicans may treat stripping health care as just another political game, but Democrats know it’s about life and death, financial stability or ruin, dignity or despair. And these consequences, as laid out earlier, don’t just impact individuals — they affect us all. So, if that means holding the line in budget negotiations and even risking a government shutdown, then so be it. Democrats are not going to let Trump and Republicans trade away Americans’ health care behind closed doors. Shutting down the government is never ideal. But letting millions of Americans lose the health care that keeps them alive, keeps them working, and keeps our economy running? That is far worse. Democrats are putting working Americans first. The bottom line is this: taking health care away from millions of Americans is not only cruel, it’s economic sabotage. A strong country depends on strong, healthy people. Families who can see a doctor when they are sick. Workers who are not crushed by debt. Communities that keep money flowing instead of watching it disappear into unpaid bills. Health care is more than a personal issue. It’s a national investment. And when we cut people off, we all lose. That’s why Democrats are willing to stand their ground: because keeping health care affordable is not just the moral choice, it’s the smart economic one. Meghan Hays is a Democratic strategist and former special assistant to the president and director of message planning for President Joe Biden. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A guest post by Meghan Hays Dem strategist. Crisis communicator. Cable news talker. Fluent in Bravo & true crime. Most importantly a sweet snack enthusiast. Sacramento native. I was in the EMERGENCY ROOM for a non-life-threatening issues & spoke with a young woman who worked at a job that offered no health insurance with 3 small kids.  She was having DEBILITATING HEADACHES.  The ER recommended a CT SCAN. Since she had no insurance, she had to raise MONEY to pay for the CT SCAN.  She raised the money, had the CT SCAN & determined she had an inoperable BRAIN TUMOR.  She made arrangements for care for her kids & died shortly thereafter.  Could it have been different? We don't know!  This happens repeatedly in the nation! CHILDREN loose parents, Parents loose CHILDREN! What we know is that MONEY drives HEALTH CARE.  MONEY has driven FOR PROFIT HEALTH CARE that SUCKS!  MASSACHUSETTS is one of the VICTIMSS of STEWARD HEALTH CARE that raped HOSPITALS, FAILED TO PAY VENDORS OR EMPLOYEES, SOLD REAL ESTATE THAT HOSPITALS SAT ON, CEO rape the HOSPITALS nationwide, bought expensive real estate & a few yachts & boats.  In Massachusetts, COMPASS abruptly closed leaving many scrambling for care including cancer treatment.  We have a MASSIVE HEALTH CARE CRISIS in the US that REPUBLICANS inflamed with the BIG BEAUTIFUL DISASTER: TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY & ENDLESS DEFICITS...screw the rest of you!  MEDICARE FOR ALL IS THE SOLUTION! BE SELFISH & PUT YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY & YOUR LOVED ONES FIRST!  EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE HEALTH CARE!