At last night’s CNN presidential debate in Jacksonville, Florida, the GOP candidates told an unemployed woman, Lynn Frazier, who could not afford health insurance that she should simply buy health insurance via a tax deduction.
Under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) which the Republicans would repeal, Frazier may qualify for temporary insurance in the state’s high-risk pool, which already provides coverage for 3,285 Floridians who can’t find affordable coverage elsewhere. In two years, she’ll be able to pick out a health policy through the state’s Exchange. All private insurers will offer a comprehensive basic set of benefits and allow consumers like Frazier to compare and contrast different plans to find the coverage that works best for them and their family. Insurers won’t be able to deny insurance based on past illness or rescind coverage unexpectedly, as they often do in today’s health market, and Frazier will pay a “community” rate and may even qualify for tax credits to help her afford her premiums and out of pocket cost-sharing expenses.
(Source: CNN and ThinkProgress.org)
