Why Sanders' Medicare for All approach is seen as a threat. A public option is a better way forward. [View all]

[Politicub]

This is my story. It's not unlike millions of other people out there.

Job Lock, staying at a company because of insurance benefits, made me miserable and scared. The ACA fixed that. Bernie comes across as a threat to a better life that the ACA brings.

What I would like to say to Sanders is bring more people into the system as quickly as your can; Don't break what's working for millions of us.

I stayed on a great career path for more than twenty years, and had an enviable job. Yet I was so unhappy being there. I would come home drained and, over time, became more and more depressed and anxious.

Knowing that I would put me and my disabled husband at risk by not having insurance, I stayed at my job. That's until the breakdown happened. I found myself curled up on the floor and sobbing every day for more than two weeks. I couldn't do it anymore. I was broken.

The ACA was there to catch me, though. I was able to get a plan through the exchange and branch out on my own business using what I had learned. That was three years ago, and I've bought my insurance through the exchange ever since. Using your words, I have free agency.

More than 20 million Americans have insurance through the ACA. We only have 8 percent of the population to go for full insurance.

That why people like Bernie, who advocate a Medicare-for-all-or-bust approach bring back feelings of anxiety and dread. Don't get me wrong: I'm for universal, single-payer coverage. I disagree with Bernie, though, on how to get there. A public option is a bridge to get there since it builds off the ACA as a platform. The Medicaid portion needs fixing. And scaring people about losing health insurance through their job is a recipe for disaster. Some people like their job-provided coverage. It didn't work for me, though.

I want a system that covers everyone. It can be patchwork if need be, and can grow over time. And if it changes to Medicare for all one day, that's fantastic.

Oh, and my disabled husband finally won his disability case. He has Medicare now. And while I drool over the options in the guide to his open enrollment period, my benefits have been superior at times. My specialist co-pay is less, and the drug formulary is larger than his Medicare Advantage provider. He has a premium that comes off his disability income each month.

Sanders' plan is not Medicare. His approach is something else entirely; Sanders is only keeping the name.