Because of the ACA, earlier this month I signed up for a new platinum healthcare plan offered in California that is saving me a ton of money -- and for that, I'm very grateful. As many of C&L's readers know, I suffered for many years while running this site with severe nerve damage that ruined my music career and kept me in chronic pain for a very long time. As a result of that combined with my age and another previous condition, my healthcare plan (PPO) has skyrocketed the last few years, making it very difficult for me to sustain the kind of coverage I need. So when President Obama undertook the task of trying to fix our broken system, I was firmly behind it -- not because I'm a progressive, but because it was essential to my wellbeing. I'm selfish that way, I know.

Healthcare has become a hot-button political issue in our country because of the GOP's opposition to expanding coverage to millions of uncovered Americans and the Beltway media's refusal to call it the way it really is, but for me, this is all about survival.

Paul Begala said as much to CNN:

I signed up for health care through the Affordable Care Act last week.

I did so for one reason and one reason only: it was a good deal for my family. In fact, it was a better deal than we were getting before the ACA.

Let me be clear: this was not a political statement. This is my family's health. If I got the best care by going through Sarah Palin's website I would do so. Besides, the business decisions in our family are made by my wife, who has both an MBA and a Masters in Public Administration. I haven't had a checkbook since the Reagan administration, but because this decision was so personal and consequential, we made it as a team.

When it comes to healthcare, I think Americans are more concerned about their family's wellbeing than scoring points against a political party on TV. And so it is with me. If Republicans had come up with a better way to do this, then I would side with them, but they haven't and never will. It's a shame that so many Republican governors have refused to expand Medicaid in their states because that leaves millions of people out there, suffering with no healthcare.

I'm also grateful that California took up the ACA challenge immediately. It made it so much easier for me to find a plan that saved me serious money and offered much better coverage than what I had before.

Sure, there's still a lot of work to be done to make healthcare in America much more affordable and accessible, but we're off to a good start.

**Here's another dirty little secret about doctor's and the healthcare industry previous to Obamacare. There are many very good doctors in Los Angeles who had opted out of taking any insurance at all because of the hours they wasted everyday arguing and haggling with with healthcare providers. I've found a new doctor that was recommended to me by my previous doctor that I've had for the last fifteen years and guess what? I'm very happy.