With President Donald Trump seemingly bent on dismantling Obamacare as much as possible, telemedicine services like Drs. On Calls can fill the void for people who are left without adequate healthcare coverage, CEO Mary Gorder says.
By offering people an affordable way to see a doctor for non-emergency consultations, telemedicine can act as a safety net for people in this time of uncertainty surrounding healthcare in the United States, the CEO notes, adding that it will also help hospitals and clinics cut costs, making healthcare more affordable for everyone involved.
“Telemedicine is no longer the future of healthcare, it’s the present of healthcare,” Gorder said. “We as a country were taking steps -- however imperfect -- toward health coverage for all and now we’ve taken steps back, leaving a lot of people in extremely vulnerable positions. This is an unfortunate situation, but people should know there are alternatives out there to expensive hospital or clinic visits. Simply talking to a doctor doesn’t need to be a bank account draining experience for uninsured people. It can just be a minor expense. The current government might be set on stripping healthcare away from people, but that doesn’t mean those people have to suffer with no alternatives.”
As per a new story in The Guardian newspaper, Trump dealt two devastating blows to the Affordable Healthcare Act (AHA) early in his presidency. First, he signed an executive order that allowed health insurance providers to start selling unregulated and less comprehensive insurance plans than were previously required under the AHA when it was introduced.
Secondly, the president also decided not to fund the subsidies the federal government was paying to health insurance providers under the ACA to make insurance more affordable for low-income people.
Experts, including six separate physician’s groups, have predicted President Trump’s changes to the ACA will have devastating effects on women, the elderly and the sick who would likely face higher costs and less comprehensive coverage.
Gorder says she knew as soon as President Trump started dismantling Obamacare that Drs. On Calls and telemedicine in general would have a part to play in helping low income families with their potential issues affording healthcare. Even people who have no coverage can have a consultation with a doctor using video conferencing technology for a small fee, making it easier for them to talk to a medical professional, Gorder points out.
Until healthcare in the United States becomes more stable and more people can get coverage, the Drs. On Calls CEO says, telemedicine will continue to fill the widening gaps perpetuated by the current administration.
