The following is an open letter to President Obama and the American people detailing the results of the Affordable Care Act on our family. It is my hope that others will begin to wake up and see that this nightmare is effecting everyday working families.
Dear President Obama and the American People,
As I lay down last night, the final night of 2013, the
anxiety that had been building up inside of me almost overwhelmed me. It was probably from spending the entire day
trying to wade my way through the Affordable Care Act that promised so much,
but in the end has left my family in a nightmare. I knew that when I woke up the next morning,
my family of 7 including my 5 precious children ages 5 to almost 16 would no
longer have health insurance and there was no one to help me figure out what to
do about it. I started to compose a letter as a final straw before turning in,
but too tired to think about it anymore and not sure who I would send it to, I
decided to instead bow my head, say my prayers, and cast my burdens upon the
Lord. With the dawning of a new day, I
have found that although my circumstances have not changed (in fact they have
worsened since I woke up having lost my voice and extremely sick with no health
insurance) that my attitude has changed drastically from helplessness to
empowerment. Today I would like to say thank you to President Barak Obama and
those in Washington that have done nothing to repeal this nightmare. This
process has shown me clearly where I stand, where our country stands, and sir
where you and this corrupt government stand. You see truth has a way of
changing a person. You have pulled the
wool over the eyes of many in our country, but the hard times we face due to
your failed policies will begin will unleash the truth of your agenda and the
lies that you have fed to the people of
the United States. I feel a sense of
hope knowing that those who have been sleeping will begin to awaken and
together we will rise up against the injustice you have done against our great
nation.
The following is the story about my families experience signing
up for Obama Care. I tell it in hopes to
shed light onto a problem that is plaguing many Americans and as time goes on
and the employer mandate kicks in, it will find its way into many other hard
working homes in our nation. Although we may all have different opinions and
political views we can all agree that our families, our lives, and our rights
matter to all of us.
Anxiety about he future filled much of my 2013. As promised by President Obama, change has
come upon our nation. Change came to our
small town through the start of Common Core in our school systems. I knew it was coming, but what to do about
it? My husband and I are both small
business owners and work hard to provide for our family of 7. My husband was in the process of opening a
new business and I found that my job was more important than ever as we made
sacrifices to get ourselves into a better financial situation. There was not an option for us for private school
or home school so we would have to face it head on together as a family. After long days at work, I found myself
having to figure out ways to teach and all too often UN-teach many of the
things the kids were bringing home. Don’t
get me wrong, I love my little home town and we have great teachers and a
school system that over the years has provided a good education for my
children. However, our little town was
not beyond the changes that the passing of Common Core brought with it. It has been stressful, but the future of my
children is worth fighting for. At least
I was aware of the battle and was making sure to read through my children’s
work and take the time to explain the important things in life to my children,
but what about the kids that don’t have a parent fighting that battle? Our
preoccupation with our children’s education along with the stress of running
two businesses caused my husband and me to put off dealing with the dread of
our next battle, Obama Care.
As the year came closer to an end I had to begin facing the changes
that would come with the Affordable Care Act. I am someone with pre-existing
illnesses and the current health care system has been somewhat of a struggle
for me. 2013 brought a victory in that arena as for the first time in several
years I was able to get health insurance along with my family. A victory that would not last long with the
changes ahead with the Affordable Care Act.
Oh all the promises sounded great. If you like your doctor you can keep
them. No longer the battle with
pre-existing conditions…everyone wins!!
But I knew better than to listen to the words and empty promises. Then we received our letter from Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Al. Our insurance would
increase from $350 a month to $881 per month.
I knew that we struggle to pay our $350 premiums…how would we ever
afford the increased cost? After
talking with our insurance company, they informed me that I might be able to
qualify for a subsidy and I could keep private insurance, but the government
would pay for a portion of it. I was told for example the policy you have now
the premium has increased if you meet the qualifications under the Marketplace
you might be able to pay close to the same premium and the government would pay
the difference. This perplexed me. Why
in the world would the government spend the tax payer’s hard earned money to
help me purchase a product I am already paying for myself…it made no sense? I decided to fill out application and see
just where we were and what options we had.
I must admit it felt as if I was signing over my life, but what choice
was there?
I first tried the website, but it wasn’t working so I decided
to call in to the toll free number. I got a nice gentleman to help me, but the
process was ridiculous. He was having trouble on the computer with glitches and
it was taking forever. After two hours and several calls we weren’t even a
couple pages into the application. He
said to wait until late afternoon or the morning and we would try again. I decided after lunch that I would try the
online application again. After several
frustrating hours I was able to complete the application. (This took an entire day of work for me to
complete. For those who own a small business
you realize time is money.) My results page said all seven of us qualified for
Medicaid. We were to do nothing and
someone would contact us about the next step in the process. So I waited.
I waited a week, then another.
Christmas went by and still nothing.
I knew time was running out, but what was I to do? Then on Dec 30th the call came. A voicemail late in the evening told me to go
on the AL Medicaid website and do an application. That was the solution after all that waiting
with my health insurance set to expire in two days. So my new years eve was spend not with loved
ones, but with a computer and a telephone filling out applications, making
calls, trying to get help for my family.
The information I got was worse than I imagined. After the application
for Medicaid I found out one of our children qualified, 4 would qualify for ALL
KIDS, but I had to mail in some information, I qualified for family planning
only and my husband qualified for nothing.
So I decided to call the marketplace.
This is where I could not believe what I was hearing. I was told that we
had 3 options: 1. Delete our application
and start over 2. Call the Al Medicaid to see if they would
release us so we could look at other options 3.
Wait for Medicaid to send a denial and call back. I was so confused so I asked what would
deleting my application do? The girl on
the other end said we would just start over the application and you would get
different results and I could find you a health plan. I told her I was confused. If I entered the
same information (family size, financial info, etc) wouldn’t I get the exact
same result? She said I know it doesn’t make sense, but we have found that if
we delete the application and redo them with the same info we are getting
totally different results. All I can say
is I was blown away. So how many times
has this been done I wonder?? Can you
believe that…what an outrage!! Then I
asked about the other options. She seemed really confused as she looked back
over my application but couldn’t come up with any other solution. She said you
have to be released from them before we can do anything. Next I made a call to
the Al Medicaid agency. He explained
that we had to be denied by Medicaid before we could get Obama Care, but that
would take at least 6 weeks. Much longer
if the marketplace had done the application for us. I told him what was said
about deleting our application. He was not surprised. He said you would not
believe some of the things they tell people.
They are just clueless. The only
hope he could give me was going down to the local office and talking to
someone, but warned me that they are overwhelmed right now with people in my
same situation so to expect long lines.
So after hours of trying to figure things out, I realized I was no
better off and that I would be entering 2014 with not health insurance for my
family. I would have to wait until after
the New Year and go wait in a line like a good little girl and get whatever the
government deems best for my family.
I felt very disheartened.
The last thing I wanted was to go onto government assistance. Why when I was able to pay for my insurance
was I being made to go onto this program? Now even that seemed out of my reach.
Since the economy tanked my family has gone through struggle after
struggle. The past few years we have
dealt with unemployment, a horrible recession that affected our businesses (my
husband was in the housing industry)…you name it…we have faced it in the past
few years. At one point, we found
ourselves at the end of our rope and on government assistance to feed our
children and health care for our little ones.
I told myself that there wasn’t another option and that was what the
programs were for. My husband was
looking for work and we were doing our best to avoid foreclosure of our home
and keep our truck payments up. Then one
day I woke up and decided that I would no longer live that way. We looked to
our faith, family, and worked hard to get out of that situation.
I mean this in no way to offend anyone that is on government
assistance. I know because I have been there with no options with hungry kids
staring at you and sick babies needing a doctor. I know that just because you are hard-working
that life has a way of finding you in predicaments you never intended, but I
also know that there is no heart and soul in a government program. If you aren’t careful you will find yourself
in the same spot in life and never rising above that. We were made for more than that! Sure we could still qualify for handouts
based on our income level and family size, but instead we would choose to earn
our own way. I cannot tell you how good
it feels to earn your own way in life. Despite what the president thinks, it
was our hard work, long hours, and sacrifices that built our businesses and his
failed policies did nothing but make it harder for us to succeed. As I reflect on my life, I realize that no
government program ever saved anyone.
Our citizens have been terribly wounded and Washington simply puts a band
aid on the problem. A temporary check
does not solve the larger problems in life.
People…family….love…prayer…God changes lives. Mr. President the American people don’t need
you riding in on a white horse, they need jobs and the tools to help themselves
and each other. They need an economy
that can provide those jobs. Your health
care nightmare is only making things worse.
My husband and I are among just the beginning of those to be effected by
your failed attempt at social medicine.
We are the backbone of America, small business owners. If we
can’t afford health care then we certainly won’t be providing jobs for
others. What then?
I am asking you to please look at the facts. What is the state of the Union? Are we better
off then when you took office? To the
American people, are you better off than you were before? Please
Washington wake up and see that the people you swore to serve and the Constitution
that you were to uphold is under attack.
You are waging a war against the very people you serve. Why?
You have forgotten who you are.
You were elected by the people of the United States to protect our
rights and yet you threaten them. As you bicker over petty politics, the people
are the ones paying the price. Wake up
Washington…the American people don’t need you to fix all their problems they
need to get out of the way. Our Constitution
is not the problem…you are!! We don’t
need more and more laws to fix America…The problem isn’t republican or
democrat…the problem is Washington itself and all the corruption. As someone that has fought hard to get
themselves out of poverty…I am being forced right back into it…but why? This has really been plaguing me. Why would the government of a free country
want me to be dependent upon them…but therein lies the problem. You don’t simply want to provide for us, but
to control us.
Today I am reminded that I do not need savior Obama, or the
republicans, or the democrats. I do not
live under the flag of a tyrant. Today
instead of sitting around and crying about what I deserve and how hard life is,
I would like to say thank you. Only a
few short years ago I was going through life asleep. I would have told you I lived in the greatest
country on earth and said God bless America, the land of the free, but I would
had no clue what that meant or why that was so precious. Your attempt at control in the end will be
your down fall. As people lose their freedom, they will also begin to
understand its value. As we find
ourselves having to deal with things like government health care, common core,
and all other aspects of the nanny sate we will also be forced to decide what
side we are on. Do we truly want to be
free or do we want to just become a slave to whoever is in control and do as we
are told. So instead of waiting in a
line to receive my hand out tomorrow and taking on my role as a good little
slave to the governmental system that is oppressing it’s people, I will instead bow my head to my heavenly
father, join hands with my friends and family, and I will tell my story to those who will listen.
God will provide for me and for my family.
I don’t know what form the answer will come, but I can guess that it
will require hard work and to that I am fully capable. I will work my butt off to provide for my
kids because, America, if you think signing up for health care was hard just
imagine what it will be like when they institute the death panels or a the very
least you can’t find a doctor that you trust because you are told who you will
see and what care you will receive. In
America we stand for freedom and I will not subject my family to what someone
else thinks is best for them.
We the people own this country, not you Mr. President or any
other political party. This is a free country where we are free to make our own
choices and stand up for what we believe is right. As your prized Affordable Care Act begins to
show its true purpose and others begin to wake up, you will long for the day
when ordinary people would just sit down and shut up and do as they are
told. That is not going to happen
here. We have tasted freedom here in
this country and we will not forget it. We will teach our children what liberty
is and the cost of liberty despite what your government run schools tell them
to think or do. The line in the sand has
been drawn between those who value freedom and those who want to control others
and those that fear them. Today is a
new year and though the future looks bleak and uncertain I have faith in God, Freedom,
and the American people.
Sincerely,
Anna Morehead
