First ones in the books: Healthcare

The first set of Democratic Presidential debates is in the books, and the one issue that stood out to me was health care.

Our health care system might be one of the worst in the world. We, as a nation, spend the most money and have mediocre results when compared to what we spend.

I, like many, have an employer-based healthcare plan and it is atrocious. I pay the insurance company roughly 6 percent of my earnings in good faith every pay period and they reward me with deductibles, co-pays and life-time caps. And to makes matters worse, the protections for pre-existing conditions is under assault since the election of the least-informed president in American history in 2016. On top of deductibles, co-pays and life-time caps, insurance companies (which I think only serve as catastrophe insurance) can charge more if you have been previously diagnosed with high blood pressure for example.

The candidates vying for the Democratic nomination have two plans on health care from what I was able to garner after watching four hours of one-minute answers over the last two days, and dare I say it, Barack Obama had this right way back when.

Some candidates, the Medicare-for-all candidates, appear to want to outlaw private insurance and make just a government-run healthcare system. The others favor a public option. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, it was originally part of the Affordable Care Act, but it was removed so the ACA could get the votes back in 2010. Removing the public option was a mistake, and that's why the ACA has struggled to work.

I support the public option plan. It gives people choice when it comes to health care. If a person likes their employer's healthcare plan, keep it. If they do not, they can buy into the public option (a Medicare-like system). However, in order for the public option to work, the option offered must dispose of deductibles, life-time caps and co-pays.

If the government takes 6 percent of my earnings and gives me healthcare where I don't have to worry about co-pays, and deductibles, sign me up. My mother is on Medicare, and she receives no bills for her healthcare, and I wouldn't mind paying for that same piece of mind. I pay six-percent now and get very little in return.

Real reform on healthcare is long overdue, and this reform to ACA would be a huge step in the right direction. Don't believe me, just look at the polling on ACA.