Eld letter: Republican health care

The Republican proposal to offer refundable tax credits to help pay the cost of medical insurance is ludicrous. The working poor have difficulty paying for insurance because of its high cost. Typical insurance premiums for family coverage are around $1,600 including both the worker’s and employers’ shares. How do Republicans expect a person earning even as much as $15 per hour to pay for insurance premiums up front, even if they pay only one half of the premium and their employer pays one half? Will Blue Cross, Aetna, or United sell medical insurance on credit? I don’t think so.

Republicans expect people to buy and pay for insurance up front, and then at the end of the year get a tax credit. The working poor need premium assistance right from the get-go when they sign up for insurance, not 12 months later. The refundable tax credit is nothing more than a guise to make it look like the Federal Government is providing assistance when in reality the expectation is people will not buy insurance in the first place and thus not have to be paid the tax credit. This is the Republican plan to reduce health care costs.

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 11:53 PM with the headline "Eld letter: Republican health care."