The ACA: Here Are (Mostly) Reasons Why Not
It’s no surprise that our mailbag overflowed with responses to Marie-Eileen Onieal’s editorial, “The ACA, Six Years Later ...” (Clinician Reviews. 2016;26[5]:10, 12). Everyone has an opinion about health care reform—including a nursing legend.
Good Concept, Poor Execution
I feel you are looking at the issue incorrectly; the failure of the ACA is due not to the opponents but to the proponents. Passed by a one-party vote, it has been opposed by an ever-increasing majority since its inception in 2009. Its passage can only be defended by those who benefitted monetarily (such as the administrators of AARP, insurance companies, and politicians from districts with large entitlement constituents.)
You direct your defense from a conceptual bias—that 60% of Americans polled would like to see some form of legislated health care. They do not want this particular piece of legislation, which was written by insurance companies and validated by this administration.
Why do you think it’s opposed by so many? “Unconstitutional overreach” to some, but the argument that 30 million people were without insurance was fiction. Many were covered by their spouse yet counted as uninsured, some were not citizens, some were between jobs and employer health insurance, and all had access to the ED.
Rethink your premise for this article. You defend a worthy concept, but a bad law.
Gerard Fischer, PA-C
Naples, FL
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