I told the story recently of one of my grandchildren who is powering his way pass the effects of autism.
Love is a powerful emotion and with the help of my son and his wife, extended family and friends his achievements are far beyond what was ever predicted; he even made the school honor roll prior to the holiday school break (way to go, pardon the proud grandfather cheering). Had my son and his wife gotten a head start on his diagnosis, once they detected a problem, he would be even more advanced. Testing was expensive and not covered by insurance. Because of the Affordable Care Act, as of 2015 forty-one states and Washington DC have mandated insurance coverage for children with autism www.healthinsurance.org/.... Enter the Republican Party with Repeal and Replace.
A personal view…
I am not making a political argument, but a humane one. I have watched the angst, grief and disappointment of dreams and hopes quelled by this awful malady. I have watched my son cry and my daughter-in-law cry not because of shame but because of anger over what their son [my grandson] must face in life. Grief is not always marked by physical death but sometimes by the death of dreams. My grandson loves music and has an artistic bent that makes me smile whenever I see him pick up pen and paper. He loves his brothers and is always leery of strangers approaching them; some of that may have to do with the prejudicial looks he has received in his life and wants to shield his younger siblings www.autismspeaks.org.
Complete repeal of a law that has benefits that outweigh the drawbacks is a callous way of governing…
Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell have used the phrase “root and branch” repeatedly to talk about killing, what they derisively call Obamacare. The problem is the disingenuous means they use to conflate and confuse the public www.bloomberg.com/.... Playing politics on the backs and lives of innocents is an evil that the American people will hopefully not stand for, or in some cases literally die for.
I am one of those who would have died had it not been for Obamacare. I have been a private business owner most of my life. Those of you who own a small business know that for years (long before President Obama) healthcare cost was a huge business expense, personally and for your employees. The fantasy of across state line competition was long debunked by the same Republicans who proposed mandates and regulation, as the answer, dating back to former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole www.motherjones.com/.... I had kidney cancer surgery on November 8th of last year. I was insured because I could no longer be turned down for a preexisting condition. I am struggling to recover financially but had it not been for Obamacare, along with its roots and branches, I would be bankrupt and living out my retiring years, more than likely, in poverty.
The Affordable Care Act is not perfect but neither was Medicare or Social Security but back when Congress worked, figuratively and literally, they fixed problems not politicized them.
There is long held ritual following funerals know as a repass. Family and friends gather to remember their lost loved one, eat, drink and tell stories as cathartic healing. The Republican party will create a lot more repeal and repasses because I have not seen nor heard a working “replace.” They now say it may be years before an adequate replacement can be structured. So, hold on, if you fall off that healthcare cliff, on your way down Republicans will be working on a way of catching you.
Vote Democratic 2018, it’s not too late