Here are some rebuttals to a recent letter regarding the Affordable Care Act.
* Even before the ACA became law, less than 1 percent of the U.S. population had been denied coverage for a pre-existing condition. In fact, no one with a pre-existing condition could be barred from employer- provided coverage (which is how most people get their insurance).
* Making our adult children more dependent on parents doesn't sound like an advancement of society. I'd rather my 26-year-old to have a stable job at which he earned his benefits and lived independently. Regardless, even without the ACA, insurers were already extending this coverage.
* No cap on payouts and no charges for preventative services sound great, but these increased costs to insurers will be passed along to consumers in the form of higher premiums.
* Government mandate will not bring down costs; competition will. Let consumers buy insurance out of state if they can get a better deal. Let them form high-risk pools to negotiate with insurers. Also, help reduce costs by stemming frivolous lawsuits. The ACA does none of this.
* The ACA takes more than $700 billion out of Medicare. You won't save Medicare by taking from it.
* Health insurance costs more for women because we have more health issues than men. That's not discrimination, that's reality. Young males pay more in auto insurance because statistically they have more claims.
I hope we do get true health care reform that brings down costs and puts doctors and patients in charge. Unfortunately, the ACA fails to deliver it.
Joan Kaufman
Belleville
