Health care premiums for 20 million Americans who receive their medical coverage through the Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare,” are about to dramatically rise, as COVID-era subsidies will expire at the end of this year.
It’s too late to turn that around, as Congress has gone home for the holidays. But I have an idea that’ll bring those subsidies back and keep them in place for the rest of the Trump administration.
Being the husband of a stage IV cancer survivor, I understand how essential access to affordable health care is. When my wife, Lynda, was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32 years old, and we were told the disease had metastasized to multiple organs, her oncologist at Sloan Kettering said, “Lynda, if you didn’t have health insurance, you’d die.” Twelve years later, my wife remains in remission.
Health care is not a game. It shouldn’t be fodder for a partisan fight. Since descending that golden escalator in 2015, Donald Trump has made one empty promise after another when it comes to health coverage. He’s repeatedly referred to Obamacare as a “disaster,” and vowed to replace it with “something terrific.” Now, Trump’s backing a GOP plan to give some Obamacare enrollees a one-time deposit of $1,500.
“I want to give the money to the people,” Trump said.
In other words: Trump wants to cut out insurers. This concept is shortsighted. A one-time handout of $1,500 isn’t the answer; in South Florida, that’s barely a month’s rent on a studio apartment. Trump just wants a political win. That’s all he ever wants.
It’s easy to demonize health insurers when you don’t need them. But they’re a lifesaver when you do. Because Lynda’s cancer isn’t curable, she’ll need treatment, in one form or another, for the rest of her days. Our health insurer has shelled out millions to keep her alive. They’ll shell out millions more. At some point, we’re all going to need health insurance. The top cause of bankruptcy in America is unpaid medical bills. Google how much it is to fix something as simple as a broken arm out of pocket.
If you want good insurance, get a job. That’s a popular talking point in rightwing echo-chambers, but it’s not that simple. For many Americans, it makes little financial sense to work a low-paying job when child care costs are through the roof. For those that do work, there are many factors that could disqualify an employee from receiving coverage — factors such as work status, employer size, industry type and cost for employers.
There’s a real need for a marketplace plan in America. Despite all the criticism, Obamacare is the best available option. Republicans have called for “repeal and replace” of the Affordable Care Act almost since its inception, and they’ve failed at every turn. If there was something better, smarter less expensive and politically possible, Obama would have already done it. He didn’t because there isn’t.
You might remember, back in 2017, Paul Ryan pitched a replacement plan that involved Health Savings Accounts. It was a non-starter then. It’s a non-starter now. The only path forward is to extend ACA subsidies, as Democrats are proposing. And, in my opinion, that’s what will ultimately happen when Congress returns from the holidays. If it doesn’t, there’ll be a mutiny among the masses, and Republicans will pay the price in November.
But November is eleven months away. We need to bring our conservative friends onboard a lot sooner.
So, this is my idea: Let’s change the colloquial name of the ACA from “Obamacare” to “Trumpcare.” With any other president, that would be crazy. With this president, it’s a guaranteed win. We could even give Trump an award for inventing “Trumpcare.” He’d boast how “Trumpcare” is way better than “Obamacare.” Perhaps he’d hawk “Trumpcare” merch on the White House website. Most important, though, Trump would insist COVID-era credits stay in place, meaning 20 million Americans continue having access to affordable health care.
Brian Huba has written op-eds for newspapers around the country, and his essays have appeared in numerous literary reviews. He teaches 12th-grade English in upstate New York.
