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An article of mine on health care just published on the "Working Class Heroes" blog...
Last edited Tue Apr 3, 2012, 09:28 PM - Edit history (1)
This is a piece I wrote for the blog, "Working Class Heroes."
[font size=5]What we stand to lose if the Supreme Court overturns the Affordable Care Act[/font]
Mark Kessinger, a WCH contributor and IT support specialist, is a passionately progressive political investigator and writer.
I’ve seen several people of late, in discussing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”, or in many circles, “Obamacare”), complaining about increases in their health insurance premiums as some of the regulations of
the PPACA have begun to become effective. It may well be that, particularly in the short run, some folks’ insurance premiums will go up. But before moaning and groaning too much about the higher premiums, perhaps they should consider the things they will get under the new law that they didn’t have before—and what they stand to lose if the Supreme Court overturns the PPACA.
The coverage for preexisting conditions alone is an enormous benefit to almost everyone, whether they realize it or not. Oh, you think you don’t have a preexisting condition and none of your loved ones has one either? You might want to rethink that. Consider this: if you or one of your family members has ever been treated for hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, obesity—even, in many cases, common emotional and mental health issues such as depression or anxiety (and we haven’t even mentioned any of the really major stuff like coronary artery disease, cancer, stroke, etc.), then you (or your loved one) has a preexisting condition which, under the old underwriting rules, could be used as a basis to deny you health insurance coverage in the future. That is, should you for any reason lose your current coverage say, as a result of a job loss or change, the health insurance plan offered by your next employer (assuming it is offered at all), would be legally entitled to either deny you coverage or charge you a premium that is astronomically higher than what everyone else pays. Look at that list above again. Have you, or a loved one, ever been prescribed medication for any of those conditions? I think it’s fair to say that most of us have either been treated for one of those conditions or has a family member who has.
The PPACA also bans lifetime benefit caps—another source of worry for someone with a preexisting condition that requires ongoing medical monitoring and maintenance. Under the old system, you could find yourself having managed your condition very well for years, but then later on having another, unrelated serious health issue arise that requires expensive treatment. It is possible that treatment will be unavailable to you unless you either have the money to pay for it yourself, or you have not maxed out your lifetime benefit under your health care plan. . . .
< . . . >
The new law is not perfect. Many of us would have preferred to see a single-payer system or even a national health care system like most of the developed world enjoys. But make no mistake: the existing law accomplishes some hugely important things that will benefit virtually everybody. Yes, premiums might be higher at the outset; but over time you will actually pay less out of pocket for healthcare than you now do. Don’t you think that’s worth it?
Read full article.
Mark Kessinger, a WCH contributor and IT support specialist, is a passionately progressive political investigator and writer.
I’ve seen several people of late, in discussing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”, or in many circles, “Obamacare”), complaining about increases in their health insurance premiums as some of the regulations of
the PPACA have begun to become effective. It may well be that, particularly in the short run, some folks’ insurance premiums will go up. But before moaning and groaning too much about the higher premiums, perhaps they should consider the things they will get under the new law that they didn’t have before—and what they stand to lose if the Supreme Court overturns the PPACA.
The coverage for preexisting conditions alone is an enormous benefit to almost everyone, whether they realize it or not. Oh, you think you don’t have a preexisting condition and none of your loved ones has one either? You might want to rethink that. Consider this: if you or one of your family members has ever been treated for hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, obesity—even, in many cases, common emotional and mental health issues such as depression or anxiety (and we haven’t even mentioned any of the really major stuff like coronary artery disease, cancer, stroke, etc.), then you (or your loved one) has a preexisting condition which, under the old underwriting rules, could be used as a basis to deny you health insurance coverage in the future. That is, should you for any reason lose your current coverage say, as a result of a job loss or change, the health insurance plan offered by your next employer (assuming it is offered at all), would be legally entitled to either deny you coverage or charge you a premium that is astronomically higher than what everyone else pays. Look at that list above again. Have you, or a loved one, ever been prescribed medication for any of those conditions? I think it’s fair to say that most of us have either been treated for one of those conditions or has a family member who has.
The PPACA also bans lifetime benefit caps—another source of worry for someone with a preexisting condition that requires ongoing medical monitoring and maintenance. Under the old system, you could find yourself having managed your condition very well for years, but then later on having another, unrelated serious health issue arise that requires expensive treatment. It is possible that treatment will be unavailable to you unless you either have the money to pay for it yourself, or you have not maxed out your lifetime benefit under your health care plan. . . .
< . . . >
The new law is not perfect. Many of us would have preferred to see a single-payer system or even a national health care system like most of the developed world enjoys. But make no mistake: the existing law accomplishes some hugely important things that will benefit virtually everybody. Yes, premiums might be higher at the outset; but over time you will actually pay less out of pocket for healthcare than you now do. Don’t you think that’s worth it?
Read full article.
