Sherry Kutter
Grey Eagle
The Government shutdown is a result of massive cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid and the refusal of Republicans to restore those funds.
These health-care services are necessities for millions of Americans. Our legislators are all privileged and lucky to have these and many other benefits – all paid at taxpayer expense.
Health care is significantly more expensive and complicated in America than in other developed countries and our own Veterans Administration. If citizens don’t have employer- or government-based health care, they can lose everything they own if they suffer a serious illness or accident. Medicaid has filled the need for some of our most struggling families, including many who work at poverty-level wage jobs as in the fast-food and large-retail industries. Deep cuts have left many without health care.
Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans are complicated for our elders and more expensive due to the for-profit Medicare Advantage Plans.
A solution? Many suggest a simple single-payer health-care plan as provided in other developed countries and as provided for our VA program for Veterans. These systems remove the complications, profit and insurance costs and would provide much better, cheaper and safer health care for all Americans. The for-profit health care and insurance industries spend millions to convince us it’s a bad idea. Extreme inhumane profit is the greedy elephant in the room.
Ask your representatives to show us they represent their constituents rather than the billionaires and an unhinged president. Those representatives must make possible quality affordable health care for their constituents, for all Americans.
