What It’s Like To Have Obamacare

I get angry when politicians talk about the Affordable Care Act like it’s the death of the American dream. Because for my family, not having health insurance felt like a nightmare. In 2012, my dad’s employer went bankrupt, leaving us without insurance. We paid out of pocket for procedures, which could be expensive. I had constant anxiety about whether an accident might force us into poverty. My parents had previously applied for Medi-Cal but were denied. We fit into this weird zone where we made too much to qualify as low-income, but too little to afford a private plan. So when I learned that The Affordable Care Act might be able to help, I filled out the Medi-Cal forms myself. And we qualified! All of a sudden, our doctor’s visits and medications were free. I was able to get treatments I needed, but wasn’t able to afford before. The law is still under attack, most recently regarding a loophole in its language. Politicians can fight all they want. But for people like me who depend on this reform, we won’t feel any better until the belly-aching stops.