Opinions

Don't kill Obamacare; fix it

My husband Michael and I have owned and operated our birch syrup business in Alaska for 27 years. We are, like many in the country, in a real quagmire about health insurance, but we know we cannot be without it. We urge our legislators to work on fixes to the Affordable Care Act, not repeal.

We never had good health care until the Affordable Care Act (often referred to as Obamacare). As a result of the ACA, Michael was able to have two total hip replacements in 2014. This allowed us to continue our business — otherwise he would not have been able to do the necessary physical work. Initially the premium was affordable, thanks to the tax credits. However, Premera increased their rates exponentially in Alaska and our good insurance became unaffordable, even with the tax credits.

We dropped from a "silver" to a "bronze" plan the following year, paying much higher deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses. Due to a complication, Michael needed an additional hip surgery in December 2016. The "bronze" coverage did allow him to have this surgery, for which we were appreciative. However, our out-of-pocket costs were $7,000. We didn't have much choice — without this fix Michael would be in constant pain and our business jeopardized.

[Obamacare repeal without replacement creates conditions for chaos]

None of the above costs puts us out of business. However, Congress is considering doing away with the tax credits. Our current plan would then cost us $4,000 per month to cover ourselves and our 23-year-old daughter. But it gets more complex. Now, if we make a penny over a certain income ($100,480 for a family of three in 2016), the tax credits go away. Completely. That $4,000/month becomes $48,000/year with high deductibles. Since we could not afford $48,000 per year for health care, it is essential that we make under — or well over — that income if we want to have affordable health care. This is absurd. There should be a gradual decrease in the tax credits with increasing income, not just all or nothing, turning on a penny. The tax subsidy issue needs a major fix, and we hope our senators and representative will work to improve this important detail. I know this is not what anyone wants or what was intended by the ACA.

Michael and I are now preparing for our 28th harvest, and are looking at ways to diversify and grow our business. Now in our early 60s, we still enjoy working hard. We have built a thriving Alaska resource-based manufacturing business. We help to diversify Alaska's economy and our business has a rippling effect on many sectors of this economy. We believe that the cost of health care should not be something that gets in the way of or limits our ability to thrive and grow, but that good health care should contribute to our ability to thrive and grow. Rep. Don Young awarded us the Alaska Manufacturer of the Year Award in 2012 — and yes, I have sent him, and our senators, this letter.

If legislators really want to support entrepreneurs and small businesses then there has to be a way to ensure that we have our health care needs covered. This should not be a partisan issue. We will be looking with great interest  — and a fair amount of stress —  at the potential repeal of the ACA. The ACA is by no means perfect, as our situation shows. But we are far better off than we were. Michael is getting ready to enter the birch harvest season this spring with a little more "spring" in his step, thanks to the ACA.

ADVERTISEMENT

[Just revise Obamacare and slap a new name on it — Trumpcare]

We need to have confidence in the years ahead. If our legislators want to repeal the ACA, then please show us the specific solutions you propose that will address our needs as Alaska small business owners. And we need to know, now, how to plan for 2017. Thank you for listening.

Dulce Ben-East is owner and general manager of Alaska Wild Harvest LLC, doing business as Kahiltna Birchworks, based in Palmer.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com. 

ADVERTISEMENT