A personal ACA success story (even if a minor one)

[Docreed2003]

My mother, despite being raised in a Roosevelt democratic household, has gotten more conservative with age. I blame a lot of this on religion, but it's also a bit of culture as well, living in TN.

So since my father's death several years ago, she has been on her employer's healthcare plan. Well she retired at the end of last year and had to move to a different plan since she was not of age to receive Medicare. She had worked for the same company for about 45 years, quite literally since the week after she graduated high school. So I don't disparage her retirement, but I was a bit worried, since I'm an only child...lol...start up the jokes about only children and I'm sure I'm over protective of her since my dad's death, but I digress.

When she was looking for insurance plans, I convinced her to move to an ACA plan, mainly because it was so similar to her employer plan and would be an easy transition for pretty similar costs. So for the past few months she's been telling me with each well visit how it was costing her less and how pleased she was with her new plan. This last week, she had to have her presecriptions filled for the first time, ironically the same day of the repeal vote. She texted me to say "I never cease to be amazed, I've saved "x amount" on my prescriptions and my plan is with the same company I was with before I retired". I just said, quite gently, "I know momma...just think how much better it would be if our state had accepted the expansion". I thought that was win enough...

Fast forward to today and I get a text from her:

"I just want you to know I've been muting every last one of my Facebook friends who are bashing John McCain for his vote on the ACA repeal...they are so ignorant and have no idea how much it's helped people".

Now, I fully realize this is a tiny sliver of the ways that the ACA has impacted the lives of people across this nation. In fact, this wasn't life or death in her case as much as a cost of living issue. What I want you to appreciate is that even those who are conservatives can be changed. At least that's my take away.

[MichMan]

1. Is she getting subsidies? nm

[Docreed2003]

3. No, at least not to my knowledge

She makes too much from her pension as well as my father's pension to qualify. Her biggest concern was that a new policy would have impacted her monthly budget, which she has planned out to the penny, and thankfully it didn't.
Like I said, she's luckier than many folks, thanks to the planning she and my father did in the last couple years of his life. Her's is a minor success story, in a state that refused expansion, and she's become a full throated advocate of the ACA because of it. Hoping there are more stories like her's because the more support we have the better!

[wryter2000]

2. Great story

Thanks for sharing.

Because of the ACA, my brother was able to retire from his job early. That opened up (created) a job for someone else. Then he sold his house in CA and moved to a brand new house in AZ. Sales in both states and construction jobs in AZ. "Jobs killer" my ass.