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Cancer Patient and Business Owner React to Health Care Decision

By: Dave Byknish Email
Updated: Fri 7:12 PM, Jun 29, 2012

Eric Milnes is a member of Virginia Organizing who is suffering with extreme debt from his cancer treatments. He likes the idea of affordable care, but he said it is not enough for his immediate state.

“I'm already in the meat grinder pipeline,” said Milnes. “I mean, whatever happens in the future will help people in the future but my situation is still quite muddled up.”

Like millions of Americans, Milnes feels that the right to have health care is important, but he does not feel that this new decision is going to be the solution to health care problems in this country.

“The Affordable Care Act is a good first step towards improving medical care in the United States but it's not the end of the process.”

That is a sentiment shared by Conservative businessman Tom Sheets, who is the president of Blue Ridge Lumber. He is not fully convinced about health care reform, but he says it has potential.

“The reality is, if we don't get a handle on health care costs, I don't think this act does it. This may be the starting point if we act like adults after this,” said Sheets.

Sheets said he needs to familiarize himself with the entire act before deciding if it is a good or bad thing for his business.

“I never read the act. 2700 pages? Who's read it? Nobody's hardly read the thing. As the president of the company I've been taking a wait and see attitude.”

Sheets said he will follow the law regardless, but he worries about cost to his employees.

“We'll do it. Is it going to cost the employees? I hope not.”

Because of the Supreme Court's decision on Thursday about the Affordable Care Act, 32-million people are expected to gain health care coverage. Small business owners, like Sheets, will receive credits and rebates for providing insurance to all employees.

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