The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has been established in law. The Supreme Court said it is constitutional only if considered as a tax.
It was voted and disgracefully passed by a Democrat-majority Congress of 2008-2010 after congressmen had the approximately 1,000-page document for two days.
None of the political leaders said they had a thorough understanding of it.
Hidden punitive parts of it become known frequently.
Maine’s two congressional representatives voted for it.
How many Maine citizens do business this way?
Now it is enrollment time. Maine has only two (why?) insurance carriers offering ACA plans. Since citizens are forced to buy insurance if they don’t have it, and will be fined if they go without it, there are things to look out for.
The monthly premium can be misleading. High deductibles and co-payments can be expensive, as well as services the insurer doesn’t pay for. The insurance carriers are not in it to lose money.
The hidden costs of Obamacare include the predictable large surge in the demand for services from those who never had insurance before, and the lost tax revenues from those whose jobs were reduced to 29 hours per week. Congress, its staff, and 12,000 unions and other organizations enjoy a special exemption on Obamacare.
Congress is currently considering extending the federal debt limit. They should be cutting spending, not increasing borrowing.
Thomas Shields, Auburn
Send questions/comments to the editors.
