Could Trump's Health Care Plan Hurt Single Parents? He Wants To Slash Benefits

With hate crimes spiking across America, we've seen what a Trump presidency has done in the short term. But we also need to consider the long-term effects, because all of his campaign promises and poorly-thought-out plans may soon become a reality. He's pledged to make sweeping changes to a host of policies, and now people are wondering if President-elect Donald Trump's health care plan will hurt single parents, a constituency he's been known to overlook. It's already well-documented that his tax plan, which he insisted would cut taxes for the middle class, actually benefits the wealthy, and single parents would be out thousands of dollars if he gets rid of the head of household filing status, personal exemptions, and the 10 percent tax bracket, as he's promised to do.

Trump's webpage dedicated to his official position makes no mention of parents or children specifically, other than stating that he'll "reduce the number of individuals needing access to programs like Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program" by bringing "jobs back to America," showing that he has little concern for children who may be affected by cuts to Medicaid and CHIP. While this at first seems ironic, given that he's been a single parent himself, it's been well-documented that he didn't raise his children at all, as he considers that to be women's work. So when Trump imagines a single parent, he's probably less likely to picture himself than he is one of his ex-wives, for whom he holds little goodwill.

Trump plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, in his first 100 days in office, according to NPR, a move which an analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Health and Economy concluded would leave 18 million Americans uninsured. While this "would have little effect on people covered by employers and those on Medicare," according to PBS, those covered by the Medicaid expansion would lose benefits. Trump's plan could save money for those covered by private insurance whose higher premiums are currently subsidizing health care for the poor, but how sweet will that victory taste, knowing that while their payroll deductions decreased slightly, millions of their fellow Americans can no longer see a doctor when they're sick?

The big winners under Trump's health care plan would be healthy young adults, according to The Huffington Post, who would no longer be required to carry insurance. But while they might not need ongoing care like the chronically ill, even a healthy person can suddenly develop a serious illness, or be injured in an accident. Now consider the healthy young adults who are also single parents. They might choose to drop their health care in order to make up the money that they'll lose under Trump's tax plan, and a case of pneumonia or a broken leg could end up bankrupting them once the hospital bills come due. One can only hope that whomever Trump chooses to appoint as his Health and Human Services Secretary will talk some sense into him.