Letters to the editor can be submitted to news@chronline.com.
An article recently published in The Chronicle, “Uninsured Rate Drops by One Half in Lewis County Since ACA”, dated January 10, 2020, points out that in 2011, before the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care), 17.1 percent of people in Lewis County (over 13,000) were uninsured. By the end of 2017, that number had dropped to 9 percent (approximately 7,000). Certainly 7,000 uninsured people is not acceptable, but Jaime Herrera Beutler, President Trump, and other Republicans are still advocating repeal of the ACA without a plan to replace it. Republicans in Congress have voted approximately 60 times to repeal part or all of the act. Why don’t they care about people losing their health care coverage?
Beutler promotes health savings accounts, high risk insurance pools, and selling health insurance across state lines, none of which will work.
Health savings accounts (HSAs) only help people who have extra money to set aside. All the money in an HSA comes from the individual. There are restrictions on how this money may be used, and people still need to have a health insurance policy in order to have an HSA.
High risk insurance pools have been around for decades. Some of the problems with them have included: high premiums, restrictions on people with pre-existing conditions, annual and lifetime caps on covered services, and high deductibles. Additionally, they were expensive for states to run and all of the states lost money. Even if the federal government plans to subsidize these pools, what if there is not enough money?
Selling health insurance across state lines is already permitted in several states and yet insurance companies have chosen not to participate. Despite what the Republicans say, selling health insurance across state lines is not like selling car insurance. A health insurance company must set up a network of providers (doctors, hospitals, specialists, pharmacies, imaging centers, etc.) in each state which is time-consuming and expensive. Additionally, health care services are not equally available in all areas and the costs vary greatly depending upon location.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners said the idea that cross-state sales would bring about lower premiums is a myth. The reality: “Interstate sales will start a race to the bottom by allowing companies to choose their regulator,” and allowing insurers to target the healthiest consumers. “While those individuals in pristine health may be able to find cheaper policies, everyone else would face steep premium hikes if they can find coverage at all.”
Carolyn Long, who is running to be our Representative in Congress, believes all Americans deserve affordable health care. Congress needs to immediately repair the Affordable Care Act to stabilize the marketplace, reduce out of pocket costs for families, and make sure people don’t lose their health care. And Congress must immediately pass federal legislation to provide a low-deductible public option to compete with private insurers and expand coverage while we work towards ensuring everyone is covered by some form of health insurance. Carolyn’s stand on health insurance is one of the many reasons my wife and I will be voting for her in November!
Frank Hackett
Onalaska
