Scott Brown Meets NH Republicans who "love Obamacare"
It's getting harder to deny the truth about the Affordable Care Act, that it's producing real benefits for millions and millions of Americans who need help. See this article from the March 19 2014 edition of New Hampshire's Coos County Democrat, detailing a meeting between potential US Senate candidate Scott Brown, his wife Gail Huff, and Lancaster New Hampshire Republican State Representative Herb Richardson and his wife Rita a week ago today. It was a memorable encounter:
The top issues that Brown believes differentiates the Republican Party from the Democratic Party are its deep concerns about the skyrocketing national debt and deficit, spending, the
lack of jobs, and Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) that, he says, is crushing jobs creation.
When the precursor to Obamacare was drafted and then passed by an overwhelming margin when he was in the Bay State's Legislature, it was the result of an intense collaborative effort that involved the governor (Mitt Romney), legislators, doctors and hospitals, and numerous stakeholders, Brown explained.
"It was not a one-size-fits-all plan, dependent on executive orders," he explained. "Nor did legislators vote for it without reading it!"
He characterized Obamacare as a "monstrosity" that's hurting the middle class.
Richardson and his wife pointed out, however, that Obamacare has been a financial lifesaver for them.
Richardson was injured on the job and was forced to live on his workers' comp payments for an extended period of time, which ultimately cost the couple their house on Williams Street. The couple had to pay $1,100 a month if they wanted to maintain their health insurance coverage under the federal COBRA law.
Richardson said he only received some $2,000 a month in workers comp payments, however, leaving little for them to live on.
"Thank God for Obamacare!" his wife exclaimed.
Now, thanks to the subsidy for which they qualify, the Richardsons only pay $136 a month for health insurance that covers them both.
Rita Richardson asked Brown to look into making it possible for stay-at-home spouses who work only sporadically at non-career jobs to go on Medicare when their breadwinner spouse reaches at 65. Brown said he would ask Sen. Kelly Ayotte about this problem, since he had not heard of this issue.
Brown handed out and signed copies of his autobiography, "Against All Odds: My life of hardship, fast breaks, and second chances."
The truth about the ACA is getting out, and it's getting harder for Republicans to deny it.
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About the author
John E. McDonough is a professor of practice at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is the author of the book “Inside National Health Reform”, published in 2011 by More »Recent blog posts
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