The Affordable Care Act

October 1, 2013 – Tuesday

The Affordable Care Act

All people in the United States need to have health insurance. I would have preferred to have Medicare for everyone, but we did not get that. I think OUR government, in which we all have a small voice, would make better decisions for our health than a corporation which is primarily concerned with making profits.  Under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), more people are going to be able to afford private insurance.  

The Affordable Care Act will shift the focus of medical care away from the very expensive trips to the emergency room and toward people being able to see their doctor when necessary.  Think about how wasteful and expensive medical care is when people only go see a physician in the emergency room and when they are critically ill. 

We should also think about the benefit of being able to purchase affordable health insurance for those who have pre-existing conditions.  We are all acutely aware that pre-existing conditions currently are used as an excuse not to sell healthcare insurance to people who really need it.

Currently every health insurance policy contains dollar limits on diseases.  Those who have heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease or cancer may quickly reach the limits of their coverage, be without health insurance and essentially bankrupt.  The Affordable Care Act removes the cap on coverage for a disease.  Fewer people will go bankrupt if they get sick. Maybe even some of you who are so opposed will not go bankrupt if you get sick but only if you have the good sense to enroll.

We need our healthcare administrators to be concerned at least as much about the patients as they are about profits and bonuses. The Affordable Care Act mandates that a very high percentage of premiums paid to insurance companies must be used to provide health care. That higher percentage used to provide health care will be balanced by increased revenue due to more people being able to pay the premiums.  Competition among companies should lower premiums.

At my age, I am really glad to have health care coverage through Medicare. It is not free. Sixty four dollars and seventy eight cents come out of each paycheck I receive. Even though I draw Social Security, I still pay Social Security from each paycheck. About three hundred dollars a month is withheld from my Social Security check to pay for Medicare.  I don’t mind.  I see it as my fair share. I did not earn all the money I am likely to receive from Social Security in my lifetime.  We all pay in, and some do not live long enough to collect. However, if they have survivors, their survivors benefit.  Social Security and Medicare are socialistic programs. 

I believe we can accurately predict that the Affordable Care Act will not be a perfect remedy for our health care problems, but it is a start.  The greatest quality of the human condition is the desire and ability to solve problems and make things better.  We are at a starting point.  We can fix the flaws and make this thing work!