Affordable Care Act - concerns

[Susan Cornett]

Good morning.  Let me first state that it is not my intent to start a political debate on the advantages and disadvantages of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  As a 25 year veteran of the health insurance industry and a current cancer patient, I think I have a better-than-average understanding of the issues at hand.  For those of us not on Medicare, please consider the following: a repeal of the ACA repeals the requirements for insurers to accept an applicant without pre-existing conditions and it repeals the requirement to eliminate annual and lifetime maximums.  The costs of care are steep; since February of this year, my care costs are $265k.  The average person can't just write a check for that level of care.  

I spoke with several cancer patients yesterday on Twitter and we share the same concerns.  If you have concerns about how a potential repeal would impact you, I urge you to contact your elected representatives.  ACA is not perfect, but reverting to a system that caused 50% of the bankruptcies in this country is not a solution.  

If I've violated any forum policies, I apologize.  I believe, though, that this is an issue near and dear to many of us.  For those in the DFW area, looking forward to seeing all of you at Saturday's Breathe Deep event.

[Jg_miller]

As I understand, the Republicans do not want to appeal the ACA in its entirety. The positive aspects will be kept, like the acceptance of pre-existing conditions, no annual and lifetime maximums. The act itself can not be appealed once it is law according to the constitution. It can only be amended. Don't panic. Our country is not going to implode. There are checks and balances our forefathers included in the constitution to prevent this from happening.

[Jg_miller]

As I stated before, not one person can appeal or amend an existing law. It takes the governing body. The congress, senate, and then the president. Checks and balances. The ACA, before any changes, will come before a committee to be examined.

We don't need chicken littles telling us the sky is falling. We have a strong nation and we will move forward without leaving anybody behind.

I am living with this thing called cancer and God guides my steps and gives me strength. I chose to pick my battles well. I will continue to battle on against cancer! 

I don't come to this sight to talk politics or to cause concerns. I come here for encouragement and information regarding lung cancer.

[Susan Cornett]

My apologies, JG; I truly was not trying to start a political conversation.  Given the party that controls both the House and the Senate, and the President-elect, we know changes are coming.  I read President-elect Trump's position paper regarding health insurance and it was light on details. I've also tried to get answers from his campaign and did not receive any.  The purpose of my post was simply to encourage everyone to pay attention to changes as they are proposed and play an active role in any discussions regarding those changes.