Dear Editor,
Our Congressman Raul Labrador is wrong on all counts in his recent “Guest Opinion” in a local newspaper.
The Republican–sponsored American Health Care Act, which he opposed, did not fail (it was withdrawn before a vote was taken) because it did not repeal Obamacare, but because there were too many moderate Republicans, joined by Democrats, who realized that as many as 20 million Americans would lose their health care coverage if the bill passed.
Our son is one of them. Unable to afford health insurance until the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) was enacted, he finally got a check- up which found he needed immediate heart surgery which was followed by a wonderful recovery. Obamacare helped save his life as I’m sure it has for many more Americans.
The GOP attempt to replace Obamacare would have cost our son his health insurance — he was depending on its subsidies to help pay his premiums. In addition, under the GOP plan, millions more Americans, depending on Medicaid for their medical services, would eventually lose their health care coverage also.
Ironically, at the same time the GOP launched its new plan to repeal it, a national poll found that Obamacare was more popular than ever before. More Americans thought it was “a good idea” than opposed it. So let’s make improvements, not repeal it.
Labrador brags of his voting “52 times in the past six years” to repeal Obamacare. Isn’t there something else positive he could have been doing during that time to help his district or his state?
James W. Ramsey
Kootenai
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