'Affordable Care Act – revisit ad absurdum'

The author of the subject letter said, “Health care is the responsibility of each adult.” There was a time when it was the de facto case; however, that was when all the marvels of medical science could be contained in that black bag that the local doctor carried as he made his rounds in a horse drawn buggy. Accordingly, his charges were nominal – perhaps a chicken or two. Sorry, but that era has passed, forever. Instead, as the nation became more urbanized, the notion of health insurance arose. After all, at any one time, few people are sick or injured. So if enough people are enrolled, actuaries can determine an average expense per year and set premium rates accordingly.

Unsurprisingly, greed set in, and the industry goal became “maximum prices for minimum services.” And that’s why we need to get insurance companies out of health care. Former President Barack Obama’s health care law did get coverage for millions more Americans; however, it was meant to be merely a first step toward full coverage. It is flawed because it still includes the insurance companies. Granted, it never would have passed without their support. But, does anyone think that the GOP or Trump has a better plan? Spoiler alert: they don’t have any plan at all. The logical next step is Medicare for all. Only then can we have affordable health care.

John H. Terrell