To the Editor:

After over 60 attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Republicans have finally put forth their contribution: the American Health Care Act. And it’s every bit as bad as you might expect, reducing coverage for the poor and making it more expensive for older Americans. The winners are high-income taxpayers and health insurance companies themselves, who will get to keep more of their money due to a repeal of taxes on their net investment incomes, the hospital insurance payroll tax and the annual fee on health insurance providers. It’s literally a reverse “Robin Hood” scheme, stealing benefits from those who need it the most so as to put more money in the pockets of those who are doing just fine.

Here are the highlights, straight from the Congressional Budget Office:

• Medicaid benefits will be reduced by approximately 25 percent as compared to the ACA.

• Older Americans will be charged up to three times more for health insurance than under current law, even though their offsetting tax credit (subsidy) will be calculated the same as a healthy 20-something earning the same amount.

• As a result, the number of uninsured is expected to rise by 14 million by 2018, 21 million by 2020 and 24 million by 2026.

In addition to this, the proposed Republican plan will, according to the Washington Post, “strip away essential coverage for drug addiction treatment as the number of people dying from opiate overdoses is skyrocketing nationwide.” This in in direct contradiction to President Trump’s statement before Congress just a few weeks ago to “expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted.” Opiate addiction affects people in all walks of life; I am certain that we can all agree we should be doing more to fight it than less.

For all of its flaws, the ACA ultimately expanded health coverage to include millions of Americans. The Republican plan is a step backward. Access to health care is a fundamental human right; let’s face it, sooner or later, everyone needs it. And in a country as wealthy as our own, it’s a perfectly reasonable goal to insure everyone at an affordable cost. So let’s have a serious discussion about how to improve health care, not make it worse. Regardless of your political affiliation, we’re all in this together.

Andrew Offenberger

Medina