One Senator commented to a constituent that the ACA was fiscally unsound. The basic premise of insurance is to ‘spread the risk’ which means including everyone. Unfortunately, the ACA’s provisions did not require everyone to participate as do Medicare and FICA. If members of Congress intend to continue health insurance through the private market, adequate financing is essential. A stronger ‘mandate’ not a weaker one is necessary to provide enough revenue to make the ACA viable.
It is unconscionable to:
* Strip low income citizens of health benefits while providing reduced taxes for high income / net worth citizens and corporations.
* Adopt an ‘age tax’ via higher premiums for older participants.
* Authorize individual states to eliminate benefits.
Also, it is meaningless to promote tax credits for low income citizens since their income is insufficient to have an income tax liability in the first place.
If Congress is unable to amend the ACA to be fiscally sound, the alternative would be a single payer system as is the case in most other countries in the world. If they can provide quality health care to their citizens, the most prosperous country in the world needs to join them and provide health care for all of its citizens.
To be fair, a requirement of the legislation should include mandated participation for members of Congress too. Either we the public should be entitled to the insurance coverage our Congressional Representatives enjoy, or they should be required to participate in the insurance program they implement for their constituents.
Respectfully,
Bob and Joan Callecod
