To the editor:
While millions of people continue to sign up for Obamacare, President Trump falsely claims it is a dismal failure. He repeatedly says he will replace it with something better and finally announced an alternative, albeit a bad one.
His plan is that instead of money going to the insurance companies, it would go directly to people. This can lead to a catastrophe if they take the money and do not purchase insurance or run out of money due to a health crisis.
If they have private insurance and wind up having cancer, they will likely blow through whatever savings they have fighting the disease. Whereas, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) does not have a limitation on coverage—whether it be the amount of the care required or the duration of the illness. There are copays, but when a limit is reached, the copays go away.
With no safeguards similar to those in the ACA, private insurance will potentially have coverage limitations and increases in premiums greater than those in the ACA. People may also be stripped of their insurance due to pre-existing conditions, which will not happen with the ACA.
We are the only developed country in the world that does not have government-sponsored universal coverage. Fixing our health system should be easy if Congress adopts Medicare for all. This would cover the people who need support for their healthcare the most, while allowing those who can afford it to seek out doctors of their choice.
Frank Gunsberg
Great Barrington
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