I know a lot of people don’t really like the Affordable Care Act (ACA) otherwise known as Obamacare but I’m not really sure why. I’ve heard all the rhetoric from the far right and must say that they really are a doom and gloom bunch. Some of what they say could be true but I believe much of it is more of a scare tactic towards people who won’t take the time to research what the ACA really says and will believe anything they hear whether or not it’s correct which is really sad. Is it perfect? No, but I believe that it is something that will help many, many people.

For example, I have a friend who has cancer. For a while now, he hasn’t been able to have any insurance. His insurance company cancelled his policy when he was diagnosed. That really bothers me that insurance companies which we pay into for a policy can cancel our policies just because they don’t want the expense. Isn’t that what they are for? Anyway, he has to pay out of pocket and rack up lots of bills for his cancer treatment. It’s bad enough that he was diagnosed with a disease that kills people but not knowing how he can afford to pay for his treatments is something he shouldn’t have to worry about. Now with the ACA, he doesn’t have to worry. And that’s what it’s all about. It is forcing insurance companies to cover the really necessary treatments that they should have been covering all along.

The other thing that really affects me even though I have insurance currently, is what would happen when I retire in a couple of years? See I have a pre-existing condition of Diabetes. It’s something that evidently runs in my family (I’m adopted so I have no idea what medical conditions I could come down with but evidently Diabetes is one of them) and I developed it in mid-life. But many insurance companies won’t even let you sign up with them with a pre-existing condition like my disease. And some of my medications are expensive even with insurance and I haven’t even needed to think about insulin yet so have no idea how much that will cost me when I do have to start using it. So the thought that I wouldn’t be covered by insurance in later life really scares me. But not anymore, because the ACA guarantees I will be covered regardless of any pre-existing conditions.

Those are just two examples where the ACA is helping people out. Does it need some work? Yes and I think that eventually the fixes it needs will be addressed. This is a good thing for those who need insurance and either can’t afford it, have a pre-existing condition, or have had their policies cancelled do to an illness they didn’t ask for. Can we afford it? Well if we were to get rid of the “pork” we’ve been paying for for a long time now, I think we can. We just have to have politicians who are willing to slice and dice the budget and get rid of things we don’t need and take care of funding what really helps the people.

In today’s video blog, we visit with an Oklahoma state Senator who is also an emergency room doctor who also agrees that the ACA is a good thing even though his political party trys to say it isn’t.
Alisa Hines

On the Horizon: Obamacare from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.