Ann Strahm: Denham has given us exactly nothing on replacing ACA
Our representative in Washington, Jeff Denham, continues to resist meaningful work on the Affordable Care Act. After six years and 60 attempts to repeal the ACA, Denham has nothing to offer beyond lip service that they’ve got something better.
In nearly seven years, Denham and his colleagues have never tried to fix the ACA – they just tried to kill it. Meanwhile, I have terrified friends – with pre-existing conditions, families with children, people working multiple jobs (none offering healthcare), college students, the self-employed – who rely on the ACA for their health insurance.
I’m lucky – I have private, employer-provided insurance. But even that’s at risk if our health insurers become skittish with Washington. My health insurance premiums may rise, my doctors may become more selective on what insurance they accept, my hospital may close because it can’t sustain all the citizens who return to un-insured status and rely solely on emergency medical services they can’t pay for. I’m calling Denham out on his childish stance on the ACA. He’s being ineffective and he’s playing with our lives.
He seems to care more about his ideology than our health.
Ann Strahm, Turlock
This story was originally published February 16, 2017 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Ann Strahm: Denham has given us exactly nothing on replacing ACA."