Affordable Care Act working
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Editor,
In 2008, I laid my hopes at the feet of Barack Obama and his promise of healthcare for all. Why did I do this? As a healthcare professional for 23 years, I always felt a tug in my heart whenever a patient told me that they or a loved one would not be receiving the medication or procedure needed because they couldn’t afford it. And having been raised in a Christian household, my mind would ask the question “how can this happen in a so-called Christian nation?”
Enter the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare. Despite all the distortions, lies, and negative rhetoric from Republicans, the ACA is working and it is here to stay. Even the stock market is now responding favorably. Recent data shows a growing number of Republican governors and most Democratic governors are now in favor of expanding Medicaid in their states while other Republicans are giving it serous consideration.
Thus far 10 million uninsured have health insurance and 91 percent have paid up. A recent Gallup poll reported that nationwide the uninsured rate is 13.4 percent - the lowest since 2008. Uninsured 19-25 year olds have dropped from 30 percent to 21 percent and my friend who has a small business and recent cancer diagnosis will get help paying for her treatment. So will a neighbor who found a plan with a smaller deductible and med coverage for $10/prescription. Yes, it's true some people’s insurance premiums have gone up and some people were not able to retain the plan they once had, but let’s not forget the original goals of the ACA, favored by 75 percent of the people: let’s give everyone the opportunity to have basic health coverage and to bring the soaring medical costs under control. Those two goals are now being met under the ACA.
Surely we don’t want millions of uninsured who won’t visit a doctor in the case of a health epidemic, i.e., Ebola. Let’s move on, let go of our fears, and stop wasting taxpayer’s money beating a dead horse.
Carol Werner
Ronan
