Letter: Republicans urged to keep Obamacare

Open letter to U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, Sen. Joni Ernst and Sen. Chuck Grassley about the Affordable Care Act:

I am writing to you about the replacement for the ACA. Millions of Americans, like myself, rely on the ACA for comprehensive health insurance. The new Republican administration has pledged to replace the ACA. That's your prerogative like it was the Democrat administration's right to introduce the ACA.

However, if you agree to repeal the ACA on 'day one” or defund it as part of the budgetary process without having passed legislation to replace it, then you and your colleagues will create chaos in the health insurance marketplace. The ensuing uncertainty may very well cause millions of policy holders to lose their coverage as the insurance industry will be operating in a vacuum. Millions more folks will be visiting emergency rooms and charitable organizations for health care. Hospitals will have increased debt loads and not-for-profits will be overwhelmed.

This will cause untold hardship for many folks - in my case I do not qualify for Medicaid, I will not be eligible for Medicare for several years and I do not get subsidized health insurance from an employer. So I will be one of the many left in this vacuum if you and your colleagues do not handle the ACA replacement in a professional and commonsense manner.

Also, don't forget that in 2018 a lot of ACA supporters will be voting in the congressional election, so it's in your best interests to set up a new health care mechanism before you pass any legislation that will destroy the ACA.

I welcome your response and observations.

Elizabeth Buckeridge

Marion