Mitch McConnell, senator from Kentucky, a state that ranks 48th in education and whose medium income is $10,000 less than the rest of the nation with 54 percent of children and more than 600,000 adults depending on Medicaid and The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), led the senate in trying to reduce Medicaid and repeal the ACA, and provide as little as possible for care so that money can be given as tax breaks to the wealthiest members of our society.
Fortunately, Lisa Murkowsky, senator from Alaska; Susan Collins, senator from Maine; and John McCain, senator from Arizona, voted along with the Senate Democrats against the “skinny repeal” of Obamacare. However, the ACA is not secure as it may be revisited again and it is doubtful that the Republican majority will offer the means to make the ACA more viable.
Whatever your political persuasion, I believe you are concerned about health-care coverage for families without health insurance or who have a member or members with preexisting conditions who have limited incomes.
The Affordable Care Act, as far as I know, has provided excellent care at rates families and individuals can afford. The cost may be higher for individuals who have higher earnings because there are no restrictions on preexisting conditions and no lifetime caps. This means all Americans may enjoy the same coverage as our elected national representatives.
If there are problems with the Affordable Care Act, it should be fixed, not destroyed. A part of the problem is that it has been defunded wherever possible by those in power who are opposed to this bill.
We are the wealthiest nation in the world and our government is now eager to deny what the rest of the developed world considers a basic right.
The Affordable Care Act is a serious attempt to provide coverage to individuals who are not able to obtain health insurance through employment or who cannot afford to purchase health care on their own. I hope instead of repeal we can look forward to a strengthening of this long-overdue and so-needed program.
Mitch McConnell does not appear to be working for the real health-care needs of the citizens of his state and surely not the needs of the vast majority of Americans. He and his group should not be allowed to deny health care to the citizens of our country. Let’s make America great!
—Charlotte Sear
