Opinion: Obamacare might have made health insurance more accessible, but has it made care more affordable?

To the editor: I feel that former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello’s (D-Va.) support for the Affordable Care Act in 2010 despite the dire risk it posed to his reelection was both noble and honest. He is rightly proud of the fact that so many Americans can now purchase or receive subsidies for health insurance. (“I lost my seat in Congress because I voted for Obamacare. I don’t regret that decision at all,” March 29)

However, the Affordable Care Act is more about access to insurance and is not necessarily focused on the affordability of healthcare itself. Premiums continue to rise, and many insurers are leaving the Obamacare markets for financial reasons.

Although, as Perriello stated, there are many positives included the Affordable Care Act, the actual cost of healthcare is not determined by the number of people insured. Prices for things like drugs and hospital stays continue to rise purely because of economics.

To have an affordable care act, Congress needs to address costs. If it does not, any new legislation should be titled “Access to Health Insurance Act.” In that case, Obamacare has met the requirement.

Frank Deni, Lake Forest

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To the editor: There is a crucial difference between the Affordable Care Act and the Republicans’ American Health Care Act that doesn’t get covered enough.

The members of Congress who passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010 are proud of their vote because they “made a long-term bet that it would save lives [and that was] well worth the short-term political costs.” Some, like Perriello, lost their seats because of that vote; others managed to hang on. But I bet all of them are still talking about the “handshakes and hugs from thankful parents” in their districts.

I did not hear many Republicans assure us that their failed bill would have been great for America. What I heard instead was that Republicans who refused to support the bill could lose their jobs.

How different from President Obama, who reportedly told members of Congress, “There are some things more important than keeping your seats, and passing healthcare reform is one of them.”

Inna Tysoe, Sacramento

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