Metal Sludge Gossip Board

Mark D. Bearden, Ph.D. wrote:I am a staunch Republican, a self-proclaimed Fox News addict, and I didn't vote for the President. And I'm here to tell you that Obamacare works. I'm living proof.

I'm a chemotherapy patient, and was previously paying $428 a month for my health coverage. I was not thrilled when it was cancelled.

Then I submitted an application at HealthCare.gov. I looked at my options. And I signed up for a plan for $62 a month.

It's the best health care I have ever had.

So right now, here's what I want to tell anyone who still needs health insurance, or knows someone who does:

Sign up. Follow the instructions on the website. Apply, and look at your options. You still have time, and take it from me: This is something you want to do.

I wrote a letter to President Obama this past February to tell him about my experience with the Health Insurance Marketplace. I hoped he'd read it, and he did.

I may not be a supporter of the President. But now, I get mad when I see Obamacare dragged through the mud on television.

And even though I regularly tune in to conservative pundits, I'd like to tell them they're getting it wrong. Obamacare works.

So one more time: If you still need health insurance, you have just three days to get it. Do what I did. Go to HealthCare.gov, submit an application, and pick a plan that works for you.

It just might change your life.

Mark D. Bearden, Ph.D.
Monroe, North Carolina

Landshark2000 wrote:There are not enough exclamation points in any paragraph for you. You type like a meth head speaks.

However, while his insurance premiums may be cause for joy, there are several other factors that Bearden may have overlooked, according to Katherine Restrepo, a health care policy analyst for the free-market John Locke Foundation, based in Raleigh. She said Bearden may discover some unpleasant aspects such as losing his network, his doctor, or the access he wants. She also noted that many specialty prescription drugs – especially for cancers – are not covered.

“You can’t just take the premiums at face value,” she said.

An effort to reach Bearden via Facebook message was not returned. But despite his happiness with the outcome, the episode did reveal negatives that have been the subject of criticism from President Obama’s political opponents: Bearden’s insurance was cancelled because of Obamacare, and he “went through the nightmare” of signing up at Healthcare.gov. As the deadline struck Monday, thousands more who tried to enroll ran into delays and blockades at the government’s Web site.

But perhaps the strongest disparagement of Obamacare came from one of Bearden’s friends, who commented on his Facebook posts about his White House experience.



“What an amazing experience, Mark!” the friend wrote. “We however are that population in the country who were not able to keep their current insurance. Our rates increased $600 per month with a $12,000 deductible. We are NOT happy.

“Oh, but as grandparents we now have the required maternity coverage and pediatric dentistry!”

RATTrules wrote:

Landshark2000 wrote:There are not enough exclamation points in any paragraph for you. You type like a meth head speaks.

Looks like you need the psychiatric coverage under the ACA!