Affordable Healthcare Act worth closer look

I feel I have to respond to Dr. Petter’s editorial in the Aug. 17 issue of the Kent Reporter.

First of all, I think it is extremely misleading, and so are the opinions of the far right, full of the negative talking points of that party. This country is no longer the leader in health care. The World Health Organization gives the U.S. health system an overall ranking of 37th in the world.

According to the CIA World Factbook, Life expectancy in the United States is not only lower than in other industrialized countries, but is also lower than in Jordan and Bosnia. Infant mortality in this country exceeds that of Slovenia and Cuba.

We are the only industrialized nation that does not offer universal coverage for all its citizens. Every citizen does not have access to exceptional health care services, and that is why the Affordable Healthcare Act was initiated.

The Affordable Healthcare Act provides some of the following: immunizations and preventative care – covered in full; annual limits on essential benefits – removed – includes maternity and newborn care and pediatric services, also hospitalization and ambulatory care; coverage can no longer be denied for pre-existing conditions for those under 19; lifetime dollar limits – removed; dependent children may be covered under their parents’ plan through age 26; your coverage can no longer be rescinded unless you commit fraud.

Regarding Medicare, the Affordable Care Act achieves savings by reducing Medicare payments to drug companies, hospitals and other providers rather than cutting payments to Medicare beneficiaries. The Romney/Ryan plan would achieve its savings by turning Medicare into a voucher system, which does not keep up with expected increases in health care costs thus burdening seniors on Medicare with an average of $6,500 a year more for their Medicare insurance.

Additionally, the Affordable care act uses Medicare savings to help lower income Americans afford health care and to help seniors pay for prescription drugs by filling the “donut hole” in Medicare Part D coverage. The Romney/Ryan plan uses the savings to finance even bigger tax cuts for the very wealthy.

The very least Dr. Petter could have done was given readers sources that they could check out themselves. The Congressional Budget Office did an analysis of the Republican Plan that anyone can check out. The CBO is strictly non-partisan.

Also, and I have not even read it in full, but you can go online and read the Affordable Care Act at www.healthcare.gov/law. At the very least, check out the analysis by the CBO.

– Barbara Martin