The healthcare votes in the Senate were dramatic. They were stressful to watch, and as the hours passed midnight, many of us were too anxious to sleep. For others, waking up to the news that next day was a glimmer of hope for the functionality of our democracy that yes, we CAN take our eyes off the process for a moment and trust that democracy can work - if just barely. Millions of heroes should be thanked for their hard work writing letters, calling, protesting, even getting arrested to protest the injustice of removing people from their healthcare or pricing them out of their access to care.
However, we know the GOP will try again. They tried more than 50 times during the Obama Administration to do so,...why should they stop trying to do so with a Republican majority? The Affordable Care Act saved lives and improved access to healthcare for millions of Americans. Social programs created by the government can do that in large-scale ways that can improve lives.
But President Trump has tweeted to stop the cost-sharing subsidies that the government has promised to offset the low-income enrollees to the program. Let's be very clear; these subsidies are not a "bailout." They are the agreement that was made by the government to the American people. Just because our current President doesn't like the name attached to it, does not mean he can just not pay.
Now, I know,...I know,...he has done this all the time in his private life. In the 80s and 90s, a local Wilkes County manufacturer I know sold to him and he would routinely not pay his last invoice. They had to fight and beg and in the end, would settle for 10% less because it was better than nothing. But he doesn't understand that the US government is not allowed to do this. Insurance companies can actually sue the US government in the US Court of Federal Claims, and they'd be right to do so.
And yet even this week, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners are trying to figure out what to do since insurers must submit their final 2018 rates to officials by August 16th. The ACA after all is still the law. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC earlier this summer, they are considering raising premiums an average of 22.9% if the government decides to renege on their agreement. With the agreed upon subsidies, the company said their premiums average increase would have been only 8.8%.
So, next we need to fight back against the government if they try to "starve" the ACA out of existence and we need the insurance companies to fight with us, because we the people should not be the ones to suffer for Trumpcare's failure. And we should also flood protests on Berger and Moore in the North Carolina General Assembly with their failure to expand Medicaid and close the gap, which has stopped so many in North Carolina from being able to afford healthcare because they continue to deny coverage expansion.
However, we know the GOP will try again. They tried more than 50 times during the Obama Administration to do so,...why should they stop trying to do so with a Republican majority? The Affordable Care Act saved lives and improved access to healthcare for millions of Americans. Social programs created by the government can do that in large-scale ways that can improve lives.
But President Trump has tweeted to stop the cost-sharing subsidies that the government has promised to offset the low-income enrollees to the program. Let's be very clear; these subsidies are not a "bailout." They are the agreement that was made by the government to the American people. Just because our current President doesn't like the name attached to it, does not mean he can just not pay.
Now, I know,...I know,...he has done this all the time in his private life. In the 80s and 90s, a local Wilkes County manufacturer I know sold to him and he would routinely not pay his last invoice. They had to fight and beg and in the end, would settle for 10% less because it was better than nothing. But he doesn't understand that the US government is not allowed to do this. Insurance companies can actually sue the US government in the US Court of Federal Claims, and they'd be right to do so.
And yet even this week, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners are trying to figure out what to do since insurers must submit their final 2018 rates to officials by August 16th. The ACA after all is still the law. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC earlier this summer, they are considering raising premiums an average of 22.9% if the government decides to renege on their agreement. With the agreed upon subsidies, the company said their premiums average increase would have been only 8.8%.
So, next we need to fight back against the government if they try to "starve" the ACA out of existence and we need the insurance companies to fight with us, because we the people should not be the ones to suffer for Trumpcare's failure. And we should also flood protests on Berger and Moore in the North Carolina General Assembly with their failure to expand Medicaid and close the gap, which has stopped so many in North Carolina from being able to afford healthcare because they continue to deny coverage expansion.
