In the run-up to the election, Democrats emphasized health care in general and Obamacare specifically.
Who isn’t concerned about health care, especially during the COVID pandemic? However, the arguments that millions will lose their health care if Obamacare is repealed is disingenuous.
Prior to the passage of Obamacare, the Obama/Biden administration promised, “If you like your doctor you can keep you doctor: If you like your health care plan you can keep your health care plan.” The truth is millions lost their doctors and their perfectly good health care plans when Obamacare was rammed through without a single Republican vote. In return, most people were forced to buy a plan with things they didn’t need (like sex-reassignment surgery, psychiatric care and substance abuse) or pay a fine.
We also were promised that the price of health insurance would go down. The reverse happened. Premiums skyrocketed, the number of insurers went down, and the number of people on government programs increased, which was one of the objectives of the single-payer crowd.
How did that work out for most hard-working taxpayers? I’ll tell you how it has worked out for one South Carolina man of modest means. He was making $10 an hour, so his company signed him up for Obamacare. The subsidy covered his entire premium. Such a deal, right? But no! In October, he had a massive heart attack and went to the ER. Under Obamacare, he had to come up with an $8,000 copay, which was impossible. The doctor told him he needed three stints, but since he could not pay the $8,000, they only would do the one that caused the heart attack.
This man tried to go back to work, but his health had deteriorated. More trips to the doctor and the ER, but they told him he would not be able to have the necessary surgery until he paid the $8,000. Also, even if he came up with the money, now he would have to wait until after the first of the year, which would mean another $8,000. That’s when his daughter took matters into her own hands. She moved him into her home and signed him up for Medicaid. Not only was the poor man’s health compromised, but the government ended up picking up the tab anyway.
One of my California doctors told another story that had a tragic ending. Her brother in Texas was an adjunct professor who was kicked off of his insurance plan and forced to sign up with one of the Obamacare approved plans. He went to his primary gatekeeper with heart issues and was told not to worry and sent home. He returned to his doctor in more distress but was not allowed to see a cardiologist. Finally, at his sister’s urging, he checked himself into the ER, but it was too late to save him.
Most people understand that HMO doctors receive a pittance for each primary patient under their care. The only way they can earn more is by holding down procedures and access to specialists. Under Obamacare, what you have is the HMOs on steroids, and the Obamacare networks are not even required to have all the necessary specialists. It will only get worse with single-payer should the government gain complete control.
What if there were only one government-run grocery store? Do you seriously think you’d get better food that cost less? Uh, what happened to the lobster? Why is there no steak? You want what for a loaf of bread?
What about all those people with preexisting conditions? This is something with which I am all too familiar. My husband was born with congenital heart problems. When he worked for a large company there was no problem, but when he went out on his own, the cost of our health care went up. Nevertheless, we were able to buy insurance at a premium through our state’s high-risk pool. Most states had them. Compared to the cost of Obamacare today, those high-risk pools were the bargain of the century!
Should Obamacare go away – as it should – some able-bodied adults may, in fact, have to pay something for their health care again. However, the majority of Americans will have better, more affordable plans that are actually tailored to their needs.
The free market isn’t perfect, but it sure beats anything that comes in second.
