I was among those who were thankful for this result, even though I live in Delaware, a state that's gone Democratic blue in every election since I was 10 years old. But noone really cares about Delaware's 3 electoral votes. Still, I vote.
I am not one of those Republicans who thinks Hillary is evil. She has merit, experience and good leadership qualities. And sure, I believe a female president would be a great step for our country. But, I fear her liberal agenda and what it would mean to people like me - the hard-working middle class Americans who pay big taxes and make this country tick.
The Healthcare Factor
And the single, most influential issue that guided my vote was our current Health Insurance Disaster.
While there were many times this election season that I was disappointed and even disgusted with things I heard from Trump, I believe that he will work with the Republican party to strengthen and support America's working class. I hope and pray that his leadership will be able to make very positive improvements to our nation's healthcare.
As we all know, it was a huge agenda for Obama's administration, but from my perspective (and that of many others that I talk to) the Affordable Care Act has turned into a Disaster!
And my guess is that the timing of our health insurance renewal notices played a big part in getting many of those Red voters out on election day.
The very week before the election, we received a brochure in the mail encouraging us to "Get on the FAST TRACK with Confidence." That felt like a slap in the face.
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| The brochure cover that inside told me that my monthly premium was going up over $400! I felt anything but the elation this guy portrays... |
A table compared my plan from 2016 to the one they are proposing for 2017. Allow me to share some highlights:
- 2016
- $3,000 Family Deductible
- $7,000 Out-of-Pocket Maximum
- 0% co-insurance and hospital services after deductible
- $1,512.50 Monthly Premium
- 2017
- $2,000 Family Deductible
- $12,000 Out-of-Pocket Maximum
- 20% co-insurance and hospital services after deductible
- $1,937.05 Monthly Premium
Good News: Our deductible would go down $1,000/year.
Bad News: My monthly premium would increase over $400!!!! Everything else is worse coverage. Plus, co-pays are higher.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! How is this even legal? Last year, my premium went up over $300 a month! In just the last two years as Obamacare has taken root, my insurance premiums have increased almost $800 a month MORE THAN what they were for the same type of coverage. That's simply ridiculous and cannot be labeled "Affordable Care".
I work very hard and provide a good living for my family. And as my blog talks about, we have significant medical needs every year due to my daughter's spina bifida and my husband's epilepsy. It burns me to my core to feel punished and backed into a corner with limited options.
So I sat in my bed late at night, after my three precious children had fallen asleep, and shared my heart and frustration with my phone. Then I shared the video on Facebook.
Soon I had a little army rallying around me. I knew that I was not alone in this mess. More than 120 friends shared my post and within days it had been viewed over 6,000 times! That's not exactly going viral, but that's much more response than I usually get.
Here's my video. This was off-the-cuff, so it's not polished or anything.
That was just a few days before the election. So again, I have hunch that millions of Americans finding out that they're going to struggle to afford basic health coverage played a big role in the election results.
And as I was filtering through the barrage of nauseating banter on all media about Clinton and Trump, a friend of mine shared openly about why she voted for Trump. And one of the comments summed it quite well I thought.
Reasons why Trump won
So for those who just cannot understand (cough, cough...the media) why so many "white women" voted for...gasp, Trump...here's one mom's reasoning:
1) he was the only pro-life candidate on the ballot,
2) there are a lot of SCOTUS [Supreme Court] picks in play, and those last for a generation,
3) my healthcare premiums went up more than 20% this year for the third year in a row (and I didn't get to keep my doctor, as promised), and
4) I wanted to send a strong anti-establishment message to the federal government and this might be my last chance to do so for a very long time.
There you have it. Why many of middle class America voted for Trump.
It's not that we love him, agree with all he says and all his policies. No. It's simply that given the two options, we believe he is the better choice for our future and our families. Clearly, there are about 60 million Americans who disagree.
My few final thoughts
In terms of our health care disaster, there are some good aspects of Obamacare, so I don't actually believe a full repeal is the answer. There is no easy answer, but something MUST CHANGE to stop premiums from going up 20-30% every year. We're about to send our country back into recession with this mess.
I am exploring other options for health insurance, but Delaware only has two private insurance companies. Aetna is our only other choice and a similar plan would have a premium over $1800 a month. Other options like Medi-share, don't appear to be a good solution due to our expected medical expenses and costly medical supplies that our daughter needs on a daily basis.
I want to stress that I am incredibly thankful for a great job that provides a wonderful living for my family. And I am thankful to have access to good health care. This is not to be taken lightly. Without insurance, we would have gone bankrupt. It is a privilege to live in a country that offers both quality care and insurance. But costs are getting way out of control.
I want to stress that I am incredibly thankful for a great job that provides a wonderful living for my family. And I am thankful to have access to good health care. This is not to be taken lightly. Without insurance, we would have gone bankrupt. It is a privilege to live in a country that offers both quality care and insurance. But costs are getting way out of control.
And finally, Trump is just a man. I don't expect him or his team to solve all our nation's problems, but I do expect them to improve some major issues. And I do believe that he will work hard to do that. More than that, I hope and pray that in spite of his polarizing comments, Trump can prove himself a capable leader and that in time the divisiveness that is rampant among us will subside.
