Mrs. Anderson gathered her three children into the living room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, we can forget about that iPhone we planned to buy next month,\u201d Mrs. Anderson told them.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut why, mom?\u201d they asked all at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the $700 we saved so long to buy it will have to be used for health insurance,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Congress is about to get rid of Obamacare and replace it with another health-care plan. We have to save every cent we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, that\u2019s not fair!\u201d said Johnny, the fourth-grader.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair or not, we have no choice,\u201d the mother said. \u201cJust yesterday, a congressman, some guy named Jason Chaffetz of Utah, said low-income Americans (that\u2019s us, kids!) should not buy an iPhone and instead save the money for our health-care premiums and co-payments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose that means we can\u2019t get that new car we were going to buy,\u201d said Judy the teenager.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew<\/strong> car?\u201d said her mother, laughing. \u201cYou mean that 2001 Dodge Stratus we checked out? The one with 89,000 miles on it? We\u2019ll probably have to stick with the old Ford beater that\u2019s nickel-and-diming us half to death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, whatever,\u201d scoffed Judy.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Daddy\u2019s home,\u201d shouted Chucky, the first-grader. \u201cDaddy, what\u2019s that in your arms? Is that a present for me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSon, it\u2019s a present for all of us,\u201d Mr. Anderson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a jumbo piggy bank. It\u2019s also known as a health-savings account. From now on, I want you kids to put half of your allowance money in this bank. No more bubble gum. No more candy bars.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cC\u2019mon, dad, that\u2019s not fair!\u201d Judy shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cLife\u2019s not fair,\u201d he said. \u201cDo you think it\u2019s fair your mother and I work minimum-wage jobs? Do you think it\u2019s fair we sometimes have to go to the food shelf? What\u2019s fair about your mother getting breast cancer last year? Is it fair that Chucky broke his arm on the playground? And this isn\u2019t fair, either, but you might have to get a job, Judy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d Judy replied.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause \u2013 sorry, Judy \u2013 but you might have to help us pay health-care premiums,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, how come we managed before?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we had Obamacare,\u201d he told his daughter. \u201cWe still do, but that might be repealed soon by Congress. The politicians say their new plan will give us more competition, more freedom, more quality. House Speaker Paul Ryan announced today that everybody \u2013 even the poorest (that\u2019s us, kids!) \u2013 will be able to afford it if we save enough, but they\u2019ll help us with tax credits. We can choose our own doctors. That\u2019s what our new president promises, too. More choices.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChoices? No iPhone? No car? Not even candy, for cryin\u2019 out loud?\u201d Judy scoffed. \u201cSome choices! Why do those politicians get spiffy health care and live so high-on-the-hog, and we have to grovel down in the dumps?\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Anderson scolded her daughter.<\/p>\n \u201cJudy, now stop that,\u201d she said. \u201cThose politicians work harder than we do. They are smarter than we are. They know best. Well, at least that\u2019s the way they act. That\u2019s what they say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well talk is cheap,\u201d Judy said.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe so, but we cannot do without health care,\u201d Mrs. Anderson said. \u201cWhat would I have done without Obamacare? Thanks to that, they caught my breast tumors early, or I probably wouldn\u2019t be here to tell about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Anderson went out to the car and brought a package into the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, daddy, a present for me!\u201d Chucky squealed with delight.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, son, it\u2019s a home-health-care kit,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we can\u2019t save enough money in Mr. Piggy, we might have to depend upon this kit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, what\u2019s in it?\u201d Chucky asked, eyes wide.<\/p>\n Mr. Anderson began taking items out of the big box.<\/p>\n \u201cAspirin, Band-Aids, gauze, cotton balls, Ace bandages, rubbing alcohol, splints, clamps and a bunch of other things,\u201d said Mr. Anderson. \u201cThis do-it-yourself health kit might come in handy some day, in a pinch. Look, there\u2019s even a pliers here for pulling out loose teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut what if we get really, really sick, like mom did last year?\u201d Judy asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can\u2019t save enough for health care, we can\u2019t get sick,\u201d he said, pointing to the new piggy bank. \u201cSo don\u2019t you dare get sick, kids. And that\u2019s an order!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mrs. Anderson gathered her three children into the living room. \u201cWell, we can forget about that iPhone we planned to buy next month,\u201d Mrs. Anderson told them. \u201cBut why, mom?\u201d they asked all at once. \u201cBecause the $700 we saved so long to buy it will have to be used for health insurance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":21304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,18,63,65,64],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n