Guest Author
As a small-business owner, I have a front-row seat to the successes and failures of the Affordable Care Act. I have personally witnessed the increased access to health care that my employees now enjoy.
Prior to the Affordable Care Act, employees with pre-existing conditions were either extremely expensive to cover or completely uncoverable altogether. As someone who values and cares about their employees, that was unacceptable.
Now, most Americans have health insurance through their employer, and the majority are happy with their plans. Our health care system may not be perfect, but Congress has the ability to make great strides in improving it – not replace it with ideas like a single-payer system.
We need to build on existing legislation and continue to make sure everyone in our country can have care and coverage because upending our entire health care system doesn’t make sense.
Let’s fix what isn’t working and build on what is already in place. A single-payer system sounds nice in theory, but a one-size-fits-all, government-controlled health care system from D.C. is not the answer. The same is true for any plan to undercut the ACA. We’ve made important progress in expanding access to health care in recent years, we can’t go backward.
My employees want a health care system that is affordable, has more options and is accessible to all. As an employer, that’s what I want for them too. It’s time for Congress to make common-sense improvements to the Affordable Care Act and ensure employees across Florida have the health security they deserve.
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Michael Patterson is the chief executive officer for Interactive Outdoor Media Solutions LLC.
