General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: It time to put an end to the GOP talking point repeated here on DU again and again. [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)It provides assistance to people earning below a certain income, and the level of income is set high enough to make health insurance affordable for many people who cannot afford it today.
Instead of paying the emergency room bills for low-income people who cannot now afford insurance, taxpayers will subsidize their insurance premiums.
The problem for the poor is that they do not get primary care. Insignificant, easily remedied problems become significant and difficult to treat. That is why this bill is so important.
It is also important so that people who have to have emergency care because they have accidents or infectious or other diseases can have good follow-up care.
Perhaps the most important part of this bill is that it will enable all pregnant women and small children, including lower middle-class women to afford and obtain pre-natal, post-natal and early childhood care. This requires the supervision of a doctor, but some of the work -- like the shots and ear, nose and throat examinations can be performed by nurses and nurse practitioners.
I had single payer for years -- especially during my pregnancies and the early childhood years of my children. It was wonderful. And our children are the healthier because I did not have to hesitate before taking them to the doctor. I did not have to worry about whether I could pay for their medical care.
Yes, we paid very high taxes for the benefits. But what is a child's good health worth? A lot, more than you can imagine, I can tell you. This is especially true if you have a child born with a pre-existing condition -- even something like allergies.