All in game

I strongly disagree with Stephen Sokol’s assertion that the safety net provided under the Affordable Care Act results in people having no skin in the game (“The Big Problem With Government-Run Health Care,” July 26 letters). The ACA is based on a private insurer system with a safety net of subsidies and Medicaid for those who need it. I agree that the current system needs to be reformed (in consultation with experts throughout the health care industry and, dare I say it, Democrats) but that is not what the Republicans are trying to ramrod through Congress. Much attention is focused on their catastrophic plans to slash Medicaid by $8 billion, only to apply it to tax cuts for those who clearly do not need them.

I cannot think of a single American who does not have skin in the game when the Republicans repeal of Obamacare would: reinstate monetary caps on lifetime coverage (newborns who hit these caps in the first year of life would die or bankrupt their families); remove protections for those with preexisting conditions; and do away with individual and employer mandates.

Those who currently enjoy health care coverage provided by their employers cannot assume that it will continue, and those who are 50 to 64 years old would be subject to insurance rates up to five times the amount of younger beneficiaries under the Republican plan. Nursing home residents no longer would be able to rely on Medicaid to kick in when their private resources are depleted.

“Obamacare” began as a derisive label for the ACA by those like Mr. Sokol who have disdain for Barack Obama. But as the program resulted in millions more Americans receiving lifesaving health care, those of us who appreciate the various accomplishments of President Obama embrace Obamacare with pride. MINDY FLEISHMAN

Squirrel Hill