I’m currently having an experience that demonstrates, at least to me, why the folks who would like to repeal Obamacare — more correctly, the federal Affordable Care Act (emphasis on affordable) — are a little misguided in their thinking — maybe even a lot misguided — by partisan leaders who just might have other political agenda. (Ya think?)

This summer I was diagnosed with having atrial fibrillation, a disease of the heart’s electrical system that millions of people have, billions world-wide maybe, but that few people want to “just live with,” I think. I mean who wants to be a 73-year old — or younger, or older — person who feels pooped out most of the time? Plus, it’s pretty expensive to treat, I’m finding; not like the really awful stuff, I’m sure; but still, “pretty.”

For example, the statement of patient cost that my Medicare Advantage Plan health insurance company sends me online shows that the “billed” prices for a 30-day supply of the two new Afib medications I now take — and will have to take forever, I suppose, or at least until they don’t work anymore — are $301.64 (so the Afib doesn’t jar a clot loose, and I have a stroke) and $294.55 (so my heart’s rhythm will get back to normal — hopefully, possibly, maybe, but not certainly — and stay that way — hopefully, possibly, maybe, but who knows for how long).

That would be $596.19 per month for anyone not as fortunate as me and doesn’t have health insurance. Per year, it would be $7,154.28!

Holy hell! How could anyone who doesn’t have health insurance of some sort, whether Medicare, Medicaid, or something now mandated by the Affordable Care Act, ever get treated for something like Afib, let alone the big, truly terrible, and still largely mysterious stuff like MS and Parkinson’s disease?

The answer is he or she just couldn’t; he or she would just need to learn to live with it, which is bullshit because it doesn’t have to be that way. Obamacare is proving it.

Yesterday on the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, I heard that 10 million Americans who didn’t have health insurance last year at this time now do because of the Affordable Care Act. Of course, some adjustments are needed to the Act. It isn’t perfect. Nothing is. But to repeal it or substantially change it would be grossly misguided, unreasonable, compassionless, unjust, and even unconstitutional, I think.

Mostly, it would be tragically unfair to the millions – yes, millions, many millions – of poor people in our country whose rights in these matters the Act was designed and adopted to protect. Maybe you don’t agree, but I believe that good health, if it can be had, is one of those “inalienable rights” the Constitution protects and is one of those “values” we Americans have held since initially we declared to help one another best we can by becoming “a more perfect union” best we can.

If we let the Affordable Care Act disappear or become greatly diminished in its effectiveness, then we’re no longer a people doing the best we can for all of our people, and we have become an increasingly “less perfect” union.

But I live in hope that won’t happen. Thanks for listening once again.