To the editor:

This letter is in regards to my cost of health insurance since the Affordable Care Act became effective. Two years ago, prior to the ACA start date, I was paying $286 per month for a Coventry major medical plan. It had a $1,000 deductible.

Now, two years later, after being forced out of that plan when ACA was implemented, my premium is $450 per month with a $6,600 deductible.

Let me do the math for you. Under my new plan, I have to pay $5,400 in premiums and incur $6,600 in a deductible, before I benefit from my health insurance. That’s $12,000 per year before I benefit from my health care.

Now for some good news. My plan is required to cover me for what the ACA refers to as “essential benefits.” These include: doctor visits, prescriptions, hospitalization, preventative care and maternity and newborn care.

Thank goodness my plan covers me for maternity and newborn care, because my plan prior to the ACA didn’t cover me for that. This is of particular benefit to me since I’m a 57-year-old male. You never can be too safe.

The ACA has done some good things like removing the lifetime limit on benefits paid by the insurance company, as well as removing the pre-existing condition limitation so people can switch carriers without being discriminated against.

My concern is not a political one but an economic one. If you don’t qualify for a tax credit, the cost of health insurance through the exchange is becoming prohibitive.