To the Editor:

The Affordable Care Act was passed in response to the issue of the large numnber of uninsured people in this country. The law provides a start toward decreasing that number. It will be beneficial for those previously rejected because of pre-existing conditions, for uninsured families with young adults under 26, or for those whose incomes make them eligible for Medicaid or subsidies.

Unfortunately, millions of people will continue to fall through the cracks. Among them are people who are unemployed or underemployed, those who cannot afford COBRA payments, those whose employers do not offer coverage (many of whom are self-employed), young adults from families who do not have insurance, those whose incomes do not fall precisely into subsidy categories and those in states that opt out of Medicaid expansion.

Life is unpredictable. People can lose jobs, become unable to work or be victims of accidents or natural disasters that thrust them out of neat categories.

The problem is fixable. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. All other developed countries have accomplished this goal in ways that have resulted in healthier people and lower costs.

In this country, not insuring everyone has taken its toll on individuals, businesses and the overall economy.

We have the means to provide quality affordable health care to all people; a singlepayer framework based on the Medicare model would work well.

It is time to do what is morally right and economically advantageous to all. It is unjust that millions of Americans are excluded from such a basic right as health care.

Jean Sawyer