LETTERS: GOP’s fear of Obamacare unfounded

To the editor:

Regarding the Supreme Court hearing on the Affordable Care Act, (“Justices hear health law case,” March 5 Review-Journal), why do Republicans hate me? They’ve spent countless hours and money in the quest to repeal Obamacare.

The ACA has been a blessing for me. When the company I worked for closed and I was forced to seek health insurance, I was stunned at the prices for individual policies. The most “affordable” plan I could find was more than $650 a month. Since I live on a fixed income, that was a large portion of my monthly income, but I had to have insurance. Within a year, my premiums had increased twice, finally topping $700 a month.

When coverage became available through the Nevada exchange, I started shopping for a new policy and obtained coverage for a monthly premium of approximately $500 a month. Not only was I able to keep my doctor, I didn’t have to pay him in cash anymore. He didn’t accept my previous provider but had a good relationship with the current provider. My co-pays for my medications are lower and a wider variety of medications are available.

My monthly premium actually dropped further in the second year of coverage with the same benefits. Yes, my annual deductible is somewhat higher, but it seems to me that all insurance is based on odds, and perhaps luck.

I can’t think of anything I’ve ever done to hurt Republicans, even voting for them when I think they have the best candidate for the job. But if the ACA is repealed, I will be facing financial strain or playing the odds and trying to get by without insurance until I’m old enough to qualify for Medicare. Neither prospect is appealing.

I read and hear endless claims of how bad the ACA is for the people and the country. All I know is that it has been a huge help to me personally. I don’t live with the constant fear of having my premium increased, or worse, being capriciously dropped altogether. The peace of mind is almost as valuable as the monthly monetary savings. Now, I have to start worrying again. That’s probably not good for my health.

SUE SCHUETTLER

LAS VEGAS

DMV wait times

To the editor:

Now that undocumented immigrants are entitled to obtain state driver authorization cards, are they still undocumented? Either way, they are still here illegally. Did the legislators who granted this entitlement consider the impact on wait times at the Department of Motor Vehicles? (“Changes deepen frustration at DMV,” March 4 Review-Journal.) Those lawmakers were probably more interested the revenue than the inconvenience placed on the rest of us.

Considering the fact that these authorization cards are good for only one year, wait times are going to get longer.

And what about the economic impact on workers forced to take time off to conduct business at the DMV? On top of that, workers not working are taxpayers not paying taxes on the lost income. Did anyone consider that aspect when this law was passed? This is another case of government failing to consider the unintended consequences of legislation.

DON DIECKMANN

HENDERSON

Underachieving parents

To the editor:

I am tired of only hearing about underachieving schools. What about underachieving parents? These are parents who don’t care if their kids attended school that day or stayed up until the wee hours the night before. Parents who care about their children’s future don’t let them get sugar highs at the corner store instead of feeding them a real breakfast. They ask their children how things went at school that day, read to them, look at their homework and stress the need for an education to keep from living a life on welfare.

Yes, many of these underachieving schools are overcrowded and lack adequate financial resources, but no combination of these or other issues can prevent a dedicated student with caring parents from receiving a quality education. Education begins at the home.

EDWIN HOAG

LAS VEGAS