Hello:

My comment is in reference to a story in the March 15 edition of The Post in the Perspectives section. The piece was titled “Political Focus: Congressional Republicans introduce Obamacare replacement bill” by Melissa Deatsch.

I was just wondering why throughout the article there was no mention of the Cadillac Tax that is not being removed from the bill as of right now. This is the 40-percent excise tax that was supposed to go into effect in 2014, but was illegally pushed back by the Obama administration until 2020 that would drive up the cost of any insurance plan that was any better that what the government “deemed necessary.”

This is the crown jewel of the entire Obamacare bill that would, in essence, put the government in control of the healthcare system. The basis and purpose of this tax is laid out here by Cigna (https://www.cigna.com/health-care-reform/cadillac-tax), and more information can be found by simply Googling “ACA Cadillac Tax.”

Many refuse to talk about this, but if it was brought to light, I believe this could change how people view the entire situation with how the bill currently sits. In 2014, when the bill was supposed to go into play, our employee insurance provider decided to jump the gun and give our family the plan that the government “deemed necessary” before Obama moved the date. Because of this, our yearly deductibles to cover the cancer-fighting treatments that my dying father needs have been blown so far out of proportion that my dad has had to stop his care in its entirety for the sake of the family and to not drive us into unrecoverable debt.

While we are not directly hit with the Cadillac Tax, the threat of it completely stripped down our policy, and my dad is forced to die early at the expense of the Obama administration, and while we put our trust in the Trump administration, and still do in regard to other reforms, this one in particular is not looking good.

The way it lies, a complete repeal and replacement is the only way to correct this atrocity. While all seems fine right now, the full power and effect of what this bill truly entails has not been thrown into effect, and that in itself is where the downfall truly lies.

Thank you,

Michael Kepes

Michael Kepes is a junior majoring in marketing. He can be contacted at [email protected].