Reps’ widely varying views of Obamacare
A friend from California forwarded an email from his U.S. Congresswoman, Anna Eshoo. A day later, I received a newsletter from my U.S. Congressman, Peter Roskam. The subject of both was the Affordable Care Act, affectionately known as Obamacare.
Both were marking the second anniversary of the law’s passage. The two U.S. Representatives seem to be writing from a different planet — at the very least from a different country. Congresswoman Eshoo listed all the specific benefits of the ACA in her district so far, since the entire law won’t take effect for two more years. The law was designed to be phased in gradually, so insurance companies and states would not be shocked or overburdened.
She wrote that, in her district, 4,800 young adults are now covered by their parents’ insurance policy up to the age of 26, and 7,500 seniors received prescription drug discounts worth $4.5 million, an average of $600 per senior.
Congressman Roskam included no similar statistics for his constituents in the 6th Congressional District, as if we have no children under 26 still covered by their parents insurance and no seniors benefiting from the “doughnut hole” closing in their prescription costs living in our district.
Mr. Roskam wrote, “Americans have overwhelmingly rejected the overhaul that has delivered nothing but broken promises and made our health care system worse.” Really? He did not include any information that could substantiate that sentence.
President Obama does care, and someday Obamacare will be as popular as Medicare.
Diane Niesman
Wheaton