"Obamacare"

I dislike the term "Obamacare" because it is used as a derogatory term to malign and disrespect the President. I admit I don't know all there is to know about the health care law, nor have I read the law.  Like most Americans, I get my news about the health care law from television and print news.

What I do know is there are a lot of people who don't have the ability to get health care coverage. I have relatives and friends who are self employed or work for small companies who don't offer health benefits. For the majority of them, cost isn't the reason they don't have health coverage, it is because they have a pre-existing condition that precludes them from obtaining coverage. Two of them are cancer survivors. Private insurance companies are not the least bit interested in giving them coverage, or they make the cost so high it is not even remotely affordable.

The passage of the health care law has afforded them the ability to get health insurance coverage at a cost they can reasonably afford. When the Republicans talk about repealing the health care law, I have to ask why? Why can't they take the law and improve the areas that are objectionable and leave the areas of the law that make sense, like no pre-existing conditions, coverage for children up to age 26 while in college, wellness benefits, medicare prescription drug benefit changes for social security recipients, for example.

Dismantling health care reform is not the answer and once again, I am left to think that Republicans don't know the middle class or care about the middle class or the disadvantaged people who struggle day by day to just survive and feed their children and provide them a roof over their heads. It is a travesty that in this country a family can be destroyed financially by a catastrophic health event in their lives because they cannot get reasonable health insurance coverage.

When the non-partisan Congressional budget office concluded that repealing the health care law would drive up federal deficits by $230 billion by 2021, what was the response of the House Republican leaders? They dismissed the new projections as unrealistic. This is an agency which both parties in Congress have historically relied on and which is considered an independent source of information about pending legislation. In addition health care analysts say overturning this law will leave 32 million Americans without health coverage.

Democrats have said that they are willing to make adjustments to the health care law. I know that business says this will cost them money and will move them to make the decision to drop such benefits for their employees. Congress needs to address the concerns of business.

Congressional members have excellent health insurance benefits for themselves and their families. I just wish the Republicans would be willing to work for all Americans and realize that having a mentality of "it's my way or the highway" leaves a lot of people feeling disenfranchised by their positions on this subject.

Don't repeal health care, just work together to reform health care for the benefit of all Americans. Why is that so hard?