It is a fact that Obamacare is a failure. We’ve written about the issues and problems with the healthcare insurance act that was shoved down our throats years ago. Just the other day, Kim wrote a post outlining how ‘helpful’ Obamacare has been. The result? Health insurance costs out of control, doctors disappearing, and more.

The current incarnation of Obamacare has caused problems for everyone. There is much of it that needs repealed, revised, or replaced. The GOP recognizes that and is moving quickly to set things in motion.

However, its wise not to be hasty. You see, not everyone thinks ACA is all that bad.

But others, including many of our own Victory Girls, have lost their insurance not once, not twice, but three or more times. People need financial assistance (loans) in order to manage the 30-150% increases in premiums. Still others decided to punt and deal with the IRS fines. The market has no competition anymore and the choices are few and far between.

So yes, this hideously unaffordable insurance act needs changed. Parts of it need to disappear, and parts of it should be revised…carefully and thoughtfully. One of the issues that supposedly drove the ACA into being was problems with people penalized for being chronically ill or having pre-existing conditions. ACA was supposed to fix that. It hasn’t. ACA was supposed to be the end all be all for everyone. But it isn’t.

This from a college friend of mine is a must read. Angela’s daughters due to their chronic medical conditions which include Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) formally known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, face skyrocketing costs due to burdensome ACA regulations and decreasing competition in the marketplace. And there’s more.

My oldest daughter is in her second year at law school and she also is on an expensive medication. If she can no longer be covered under our insurance plan until age 26, then she will be forced to obtain insurance through her law school. We called her law school and while their student insurance plan would cover her JIA medication, it would add $10,000 to $15,000 a year to her student loan debt only to just receive her medication and pay her premiums.

Bernie and Hillary, does your free college for all include affordable health insurance for the chronically ill attending college at any level? I didn’t think so.

Angela’s daughters aren’t alone. In 2015, at the start of her junior year in high school, my daughter was diagnosed with Epilepsy. Since then there have been multiple visits to the ER, hospital stays, a team of doctors, EEG’s, MRI’s, multiple medications, and more. Thankfully, her Epilepsy is mostly under control compared to many others we know, some who’ve been dealing with it since birth. The medical costs right now are bad enough, but this is a life-long condition. The costs for her insurance plus the out of pocket expenses will never ever be minor.

Can my daughter and Angela’s afford the current incarnation of Obamacare? No, nor can anyone else whether they are dealing with pre-exisiting conditions and chronic illness, or are healthy and then one day suddenly need catastrophic care. Obamacare never did address those issues and has, by offering up new more expensive plans with fewer options each year, made things worse now and in the future for Angela’s daughters, mine, and far too many others.

The “Affordable Care Act” has major gaps due in large part to the Democrats shoving this down our throats without letting anyone review it.

And their excuses today are laughable.

@ChrisMurphyCT Lousy INSURANCE isn't healthcare

— Pappa Bear (@Latheman1791) January 13, 2017

A hospital CEO told me that if we called it ACA, instead of OCare, people would like it.

Next time– less helping people, more branding.

— Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt) January 13, 2017

What total rubbish. People losing coverage, doctors, and having costs skyrocket won't be overcome with marketing. https://t.co/ltYtPPZfcC

— lauren (@LilMissRightie) January 13, 2017

My advice to the GOP? Proceed with caution, not haste. Let us, those in the trenches dealing with healthcare issues every day, have the opportunity to review all proposed legislation before it goes to a vote. Ask the doctors, nurses, and patients for advice. Ask the kids/teenagers/college students dealing with JIA, Epilepsy, cancer, diabetes, etc. Healthcare insurance will never be “perfect.” But it can be better than what we have now.