Mary Bell Lockhart
Jul 30, 2017 · 2 min read

Actually, it is just you naysayers who are saying this: “The Democrat story being told over and over again right now is that they are not the Republicans. They point to their enemies and say that is not me. They tell their voters, “Vote for me because we are not them.”

That isn’t what Democrats are actually saying. And isn’t what you deride as polling just another way of finding out the needs of the people? Do you prefer the anecdotal method of the Republicans — find 5 people who will verify your lie and claim they are “the people”?

Your assessment of the Affordable Care Act falls way short, as well. In truth, it was a massive expansion (accomplished wisely somewhat under the radar) of a good single-payer plan, Medicaid. Medicaid is now the largest insurance plan in the country and more than half of the states have adopted it’s expansion.

You make the same mistake the Republicans do in thinking the ACA was just about the exchanges and the individual (subsidized) market. In fact, ACA improved EVERY insurance plan, whether public or private, by requiring all plans to provide essential benefits. In fact, both Medicaid expansion and subsidized private insurance (market) have been a huge economic gain for low-income and middle class Americans. You completely ignore the ACA requirements that preventive care be provided without copayment and the inclusion of mental health and drug addiction treatment in every plan. In addition, the health care provider sector of good paying middle class jobs (nurses, aides, doctors, therapists, hospitals) is now thriving, especially in those states that expanded Medicaid.

If you would become more knowledgeable about ACA you would understand why Clinton is right that the best strategy is to build on it, strengthen it’s weaknesses and expand it.

    Mary Bell Lockhart

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