"My State Needs Obamacare. Now." by STEVE BESHEAR at the New York Times

[applegrove]

My State Needs Obamacare. Now.

by STEVE BESHEAR at the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/opinion/my-state-needs-obamacare-now.html?smid=re-share&_r=0

"SNIP.............................


So why then is Kentucky — more quickly than almost any other state — moving to implement the Affordable Care Act?

Because there’s a huge disconnect between the rank partisanship of national politics and the outlook of governors whose job it is to help beleaguered families, strengthen work forces, attract companies and create a balanced budget.

It’s no coincidence that numerous governors — not just Democrats like me but also Republicans like Jan Brewer of Arizona, John Kasich of Ohio and Rick Snyder of Michigan — see the Affordable Care Act not as a referendum on President Obama but as a tool for historic change.

That is especially true in Kentucky, a state where residents’ collective health has long been horrendous. The state ranks among the worst, if not the worst, in almost every major health category, including smoking, cancer deaths, preventable hospitalizations, premature death, heart disease and diabetes.



...........................SNIP"

[barnabas63]

1. I think it's starting to sink in...

..to people who have started figuring out their premiums on the exchanges - most people will benefit from the ACA. I know someone, 53 years old, makes $12K a year and has been without health care for years. She will now be able to pay $20 a month and have some decent care. If people aren't healthy, they can't work as well to support themselves... Anyway, she didn't like Obama but isn't complaining now. A Republican family member is starting to wonder if she might benefit from it too....hmmm..

[applegrove]

2. Those are great annecdotes. Warms my heart to hear it.