I ♥ Obamacare

Open enrollment for health insurance through a state or federal exchange ended yesterday, for most people anyway.  Despite claims that the Affordable Care Act or ACA/Obamacare, would end life as we know it and destroy the economy, the original goal of seven million people was surpassed.  This is a good thing, not just for Democrats but everyone.  Even if you don’t get your health care through the new system, better access to preventative care helps everyone by driving down costs (an once of prevention is worth an pound of cure) and healthier people are ore productive.

My personal experience with the law has been fantastic.  My health history is complicated and expensive.  Because I don’t work for a large company, I work for myself, my health insurance was incredibly expensive.  It was also pretty terrible.  Yes, I was one of the people who received a letter last fall letting me know my plan was going to be discontinued due to the health care law.  This isn’t President Obama’s fault; it was the insurance company’s.  Yes, I picked it; it was one that I could afford, and while I was covered for a decent number of services, I had to reach my deductible for many others.  As mine was pretty high, a host of tests, procedures and treatments remained out of reach.  In theory, I was covered, but my reality was limited access to care.

Then I signed up for coverage through Obamacare.  The process was simple and quick.  I opted for a “silver” HMO plan.  The premium is affordable, less than what I was paying, and preventative services are free.  Some have complained that their prescription drugs are more expensive — insurance companies decide which ones they consider “formulary.”  I don’t take medicine regularly but the prescription I did get was covered and my cost was $4.

My story is not proof the law will work.  It is not structured the way I would have liked.  I wanted to see a single payer system, ironically several Republican governors are coming around to that point of view because it lowers the cost.  Despite what its detractors say, it is not socialism.  If anything, it is forced capitalism.  It is a step in the right direction.  With the web site problems fixed and as people become more familiar with the system, its popularity will grow.  The newest poll number indicate it is more popular now than at any point since passage.  It’s too soon to call the law a success and there will be more bumps in the road but, Medicare suffered its share of growing pains, too.

To me, by granting more people and their families access to  health care, we have taken a bold step towards fulfilling the promise our founding fathers set down so long ago and are a bit closer to creating that “more perfect union.”

By: Alyson Chadwick

Alyson Chadwick is a political/news junkie and New Yorker transplanted to Washington, DC and currently working in Florida. Her career has included work on five presidential cycles, both sides of Capitol Hill, the 2012 Democratic Convention, Clinton White House, United Nations and multiple local and statewide campaigns. She is also a sad Met fan, which could be the most redundant sentence ever.