In the midst of his campaign, Braley seems to have forgotten about the 230,000 Iowans still waiting for healthcare.
This weekend, Braley told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that Americans “can’t afford” to go back to a time before ObamaCare. According to Braley, ObamaCare has “changed all that” for the 50 million previously uninsured.
This rosy view of ObamaCare ignores the fact that three-quarters of the Iowans who lacked insurance last year are still awaiting an affordable option, The Des Moines Register reported today.
“But a new report estimates about three-quarters of Iowans who lacked health insurance last year remain uninsured.
“Reinna Waseskuk is among them. She drove a half hour from Mitchellville recently to seek care for flu-like symptoms at the Jim Ellefson Free Medical Clinic on Des Moines’ east side. Waseskuk, an assistant manager at a convenience store, has been offered insurance by her employer but would have to pay $111 every two weeks for her part of the premium.
‘I can’t afford that,’ she said. ‘There’s no way on Earth.’”
Waseskuk says she can’t afford the ObamaCare option either:
“She bristled at the new requirement to obtain insurance. ‘If we could afford it, do you think we’d be standing out here?’ she said, nodding at a half-dozen others in line on the sidewalk, waiting for the free clinic to hold one of its twice-a-week sessions.”