This probably hasn't yet been said enough, but Thank You Secretary Sebelius for a Job Well Done.
As of last week 7.1 Million Americans, at least 1/3rd of whom who either couldn't afford it or we're locked out due to a pre-existing condition, were able to purchase private health insurance - some for the first time in years. In addition to this another 3 Million were able to join Medicaid & CHIP due to it's expansion, 3 million young people were able to remain on their parents insurance, and another 9 Million were able to purchase insurance in the off-exchange market. My quick-back-of-the-napkin-math says that is at least 22.1 Million Americans, and counting, that have gained or improved their health care because of the Affordable Care Act.
This was accomplished despite many complex and difficult challenges. We all know that the website rollout did not exactly go as planned, even if big roll-out problems for a program of this size are historically common. Eventually the site did improve, impressively so in the last days of open enrollment. We all know that some insurance companies defied HHS rules to cancel and replace plans that should have been grand-fathered, using the debut of the law as an opportunity to trick their customers into costly up-sell schemes that tarnished the President's reputation.
We all know this, or at least we should all know this.
We also know that Republicans, despite all these gains continue to offer nothing but baseless, factless, complaints about elements of the law that do not exist and threaten to do nothing if not reverse all this progress, snatching healthcare away from these many Millions who otherwise would not have it. With luck, the majority of the American people will stand up and refuse to let that happen this November, and in 2016. We hope.
This law, imperfect though it may be, has already faced the Supreme Court and survived once. It may very likely do so again soon. During all that time, through all those difficulties the steady hand of Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has been at the tillsr and guided the implementation of the most comprehensive expansion of Health Care that America has seen for generations.
I may be only one among millions, who simply can't thank you enough.
I just thought it needed to be said.
Vyan