Obamacare

by Dee Newman

Those of you who know me, who have read this Blog for years, understand (like most progressives) my opinion of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is somewhat convoluted. The Act, the final law that was passed back in 2010, falls far short of what the citizens of the United States deserve.

I have always believed that the only option worth considering is a “Single-payer” universal insurance health care system, essentially Medicare for All.

But, let me be crystal clear. I am absolutely sure that I do not want to return to the health insurance system we had before the Affordable Care Act was passed. The Act has already helped millions of Americans and will help millions more who have been locked out of the insurance market.

We cannot return to a system that allows private for-profit insurance companies to deny insurance to Americans with pre-existing conditions, that forces cancer survivors and others into bankruptcy by ending lifetime caps on coverage, and that forces women to pay double for the same coverage and care that men receive.

In short, we cannot allow Republicans and for-profit insurance companies to succeed in destroying the gains we have made. It will  be a huge step backwards that may possibly destroy all chances to move reform forward for decades to come.

To date conservative extremists have spent hundreds of millions of dollars and used every strategy possible to obstruct and prevent the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), while offering NO alternative.

Private health insurance companies are motivated by one thing and one thing only – profit. They are in business to make money off the misfortune of others, that's it – nothing else.

They are not concerned about the health and well-being of the American people, let alone, to provide preventative care.

To them – a pound of cure is a whole lot more profitable than an ounce of prevention.

Unfortunately, the GOP is aligned with the for-profit insurance industry and not with the American people.