Loretta Sanchez: Opening Day for Affordable Care Act (Orange County Register)
/ For the Register
October 1, 2013
Four years ago, Congress was intensely debating how to cover the approximately 45 million Americans who lack health insurance. After several versions and many votes, before us was the most significant overhaul of our health care system since the passage of Medicare: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as ACA or “Obamacare.”
It is understandable that there were concerns with a comprehensive law like ACA. I shared those concerns and struggled with my decision. I read the bill front and back, I debated and consulted with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and I held meetings with community stakeholders here in Orange County. My skepticism made me one of a handful of deciding votes in Congress and I was able to influence critical changes on the issues that affected Orange County the most. In the end, I voted for ACA because it will better our lives and the lives of our neighbors. It is not only the right thing to do but it is also smart health care policy and smart economic policy.
If you are not already covered through an employer or family member, today can be a life-changing day for you. Californians can log onto www.CoveredCa.com and sign up for high-quality health insurance that won’t break your bank, discriminate against pre-existing conditions or drop you if you get sick. For the uninsured, health care coverage will no longer seem like a luxury reserved for the few. For those with coverage, gone are the days that you are penalized for a pre-existing condition or your gender. For many Americans, ACA seems too good to be true – it’s a ‘government takeover’ destined for failure. But I believe it will work and it will work for Orange County, because the ACA is based on individual responsibility and the power of market forces.
The new health care law makes everyone responsible for the cost of their own care. If your house burns down, but you didn’t have the foresight to purchase home insurance, you’re out of luck. But our society will always care for someone who has a heart attack – whether or not they had the foresight to buy health insurance. That meant that until now, the rest of us have footed the emergency room bills for the uninsured. For the first time, Orange County families have the opportunity to get affordable health care without sacrificing the food on their table, translating to fewer unnecessary trips to the emergency room on our dime. ACA holds everyone accountable for themselves and their care.
The more people brought back into the insurance marketplace – because they can now afford it or are no longer discriminated against – the better, more competitive the market becomes. Insurance companies cannot set artificially high rates or drop people when they become a liability. Now they need to answer to their consumers and diversify options, lower costs and focus on patient care rather than administrative costs or margins. In fact, ACA dictates that insurance companies must spend at least 80 percent of their money on care, and 20 percent or less of it on administrative costs.
Let’s embrace this historical day by celebrating the millions of Americans that can now obtain coverage. With ACA’s implementation in full swing, I’m eager to begin debating the real issues before us. I want to vote on legislation that will create more jobs, legislation that will create a balanced and responsible fiscal path forward, legislation that will improve and create a 21st century education system for our children and legislation to reduce the tax burden on middle-class Americans without sacrificing funds for the social programs that are the safety net for many Americans. Let’s move this nation forward.
This article was originally published October 1, 2013, in the Orange County Register.