EDITORIAL: Health care, locally, in U.S.

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While Republicans and Democrats argue about the future of health care in Washington, D.C., people in Jefferson County still are taking care of those whose current insurance doesn’t cover the full cost of care.

Even with Obamacare – the nickname for the Affordable Care Act – health care can be expensive. Insurance companies don’t always cover all the expenses incurred. And people still can be saddled with high deductibles and out-of-pocket drug costs.

Look no further than the pages of The Leader for evidence of the difficulties people still have with health care.

Friends of Richard Pindell are planning a March 18 benefit at the Palindrome to help pay for past and future medical bills. Pindell has stage 4 cancer.

Friends of Geoff Masci have raised $21,165 on GoFundMe.com to help him with chemo treatment.

Friends of Drew Elicker, who used to work at The Leader, also are rallying, to help cover the cost of intensive rehab.

These are only a few examples of our friends and neighbors who now need assistance meeting the costs of care that aren’t covered under Obamacare and Medicare.

On Monday, the Congressional Budget Office announced 14 million people in the United States could lose coverage next year under House Republican legislation. That number could rise to 24 million by 2024, according to budget analysts.

There are 3,401 people in Jefferson County who were enrolled in Apple Health last fall thanks to the expansion of Medicaid made possible by President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Some received subsidies, and it’s not clear yet how the GOP proposal would impact them.

It says something about the community that so many people are coming to the aid of those whose existing insurance doesn’t cover the cost of their care now.

We shouldn’t need to have fundraisers to care for one another.

The House Republican proposal is going in the wrong direction. America needs a single-payer health care system. It’s that simple.