Obama health care good for everyone
Dear Editor,
The best article I have ever read concerning the new health care law (Obamacare) appeared in the Sunday, Feb. 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s business section. The reason it was the best is that it only presented facts as to how the law will affect health insurance availability, cost and coverage as of Jan. 1, 2014.
Probably the most important fact is that in January every family with an annual income of up to $92,000 and individuals making $44,200 or less will get federal help paying for their health insurance. This means millions of Texas families and individuals who can’t currently afford health insurance will be able to buy private insurance with better coverage than is offered now.
In January every citizen and legal resident will pay the same cost with few exceptions. One exception is that rates will still be age based, but with limits. An older person cannot be charged more than three times the rate for a young person, which is a vast improvement over present rate structures. The only persons who can be rated up are tobacco users. They can be charged a higher rate than non-users of the same age.
The only group of people that can be left out are the present working poor who cannot afford insurance at any cost. The new laws actually provide coverage, but at the option of each state. States that chose to include there working poor in Medicaid can insure them for 10 cents on the dollar.
In other words, Texas and every other state can insure the people who are presently totally dependent on the state for just 10 percent of the cost after January 2014. Eleven state governors, including Texas’, have stated they will not elect this expansion. They say it is because their state cannot afford the 10 cents.
In my opinion this is the most outrageous thing ever spoken by a governor. It’s like a parent rejecting free milk because they have to walk across the street to get it. They would rather see their children go without milk or choose to pay the full cost themselves.
The main objections to the new law are based on politics instead of facts. First, the law is not a federal takeover of health care. People who have insurance now are completely free to keep that insurance. All the new coverage will be provided by private insurance companies will the exceptions of the state optional expansion of Medicaid for their poorest citizens. As soon as voters realize that if their governor opts out of expanded Medicaid, tens of billions of their federal taxes will go to some other state, their governors will have their minds changed for them. But the state will still lose the billions already sent to other states. Stupid!
Another objective is that the new laws will use tax dollars to pay for abortions. This is an absolute lie. As is the claim it will cover people in this country illegally. Those people are expressly denied coverage under this law.
I am a retired health insurance agent. I have read every article, and column I can find concerning the law. I have not found one negative provision in this law for the insured and uninsured.
Even the insurance companies will gain. While the law limits rates, expands coverage and stops rate up or rejection for health reasons, the insurance companies will get tens of millions of new policy holders, who will largely be healthy young working people.
People who are represented by state leaders too bigoted or stupid to recognize a great deal must speak out now. Only citizens receiving great medical care now, without paying, have anything to fear.
Respectfully,
Dennis Tilly, Weatherford
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