I resent the statements by politicians and others denigrating the Affordable Care Act when I doubt they have personally been consumers in the health insurance marketplace. Our family has been successfully self-employed since 2000. Buying our own health insurance has always been a huge challenge, made more difficult by having to deal with different companies, agents, fine-print exclusions, pre-existing condition riders, and costs that quadrupled from 2004 to 2013. We have lived with catastrophic high-deductible plans that still cost more than $1,000 per month and didn’t even count the cost of wellness visits or ongoing care expenses (such as for my glaucoma) toward the deductible!
The Affordable Care Act and the Connect For Health Colorado exchange have made it possible to shop for plans in an apples-to-apples format. All plans must provide no-cost wellness checkups for everyone, no-cost dental and vision checkups for children, and no exclusions for pre-existing conditions. The out-of-pocket maximums make it less likely that a family can be bankrupted by an extended illness or injury. If you qualify for the 400 percent of federal poverty level income cap, the premiums cost dramatically less. Even if you don’t qualify, the plans cost about the same as before but provide much more for your money. Yes, the costs keep rising, but they are rising in the general marketplace as well; ask any employer about the costs for the programs they provide and you’ll get the same answer. The ACA is not a perfect solution because it’s still based on the same insurance companies and health care establishment, but it is definitely a step in the right direction.
It is my belief that if Obamacare had not been so politicized, more consumers would use it and the program would be more successful in achieving its admirable goal of providing better health care choices for all Americans. I ask everyone to do your own fact-checking before believing the oft-expressed opinions of politicians who may have a different agenda than most of us who are just trying to provide the best we can for our families.
Kerry Masterson
Durango
