An Associated Press poll reported in the Oct. 14 issue of the newspaper did little to show why the high cost of health care is still preventing the sick and injured from obtaining treatment despite the promise of the Affordable Care Act. The ACA also promised to reduce Medicare costs for recipients. Those insured under both ACA and Medicare must be prepared to pay huge, unaffordable out-of-pocket costs to avoid medical bankruptcy and/ or loss of their homes.

Based on averages, for the ACA insured, out-of-pocket cost is more than $6,900 each year, or over $575 per month, including a premium of $328 from incomes of less than $2,700. Healthcare is more than 21 percent of their income. By comparison, for Medicare recipients, out-of-pocket cost is more than $4,390 each year, including hospital deductible. That is more than $365 per month, from Social Security incomes of less than $1,300. Healthcare cost is 28 percent of their income.

Clearly the ACA and Medicare do not assure affordable healthcare coverage based on average incomes. According to the data, the elderly face increasingly higher costs for healthcare, over time, from meager fixed incomes than do younger ACA policy holders on non-fixed incomes.

The Affordable Health Care Act and Medicare have done little or nothing to assure healthcare affordability for the majority in this country. Healthcare prices will not be affordable until there is sufficient competition among providers. That will require hundreds of thousands more doctors and nurses. Healthcare prices will not be affordable until hospitals are recognized as profit centers, not non-profit corporations. Hospital corporations gobble up smaller hospitals and reduce competition. Healthcare costs will not be affordable until the ACA and Medicare are empowered to negotiate for lower pharmaceutical prices, as does the VA.

Jim Chiddix

Waterville

Copy the Story Link