I sympathize with Mark Moulton (“Obamacare: Fix or re-brand,” Jan. 13, letters), expressing how vulnerable his family feels with the Republicans swearing to repeal Obamacare. Unfortunately, many of us will pay a high price as the consequence of having a narcissistic con man for president. And that con transfers right down to our local congresswoman, Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas.
She has called Obamacare a “failure.” It isn’t. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of people without health insurance fell from 16 percent in 2010 to 8.9 percent in 2016. Employers’ health care premiums rose by 69 percent from 2000-2005, but by only 27 percent from 2010 to 2015, and by 3 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. And Obamacare likely prevented at least 50,000 preventable patient deaths from 2010 to 2013. Fewer Americans had problems paying medical bills or medical debt in 2014, and fewer went without care because they couldn’t afford it.
If you like Obamacare, write, call or e-mail Herrera Beutler through congress.gov to tell her to keep it. Call her at 202-225-3536, or write to 1130 Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C., 20515
