New health care law a godsend for Texas lawyer, family

[kpete]

Source: McClatchy

New health care law a godsend for Texas lawyer, family
By Maria Recio | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Attorney Andrew Griffin doesn't share the outrage that many of his fellow Texans feel over the Obama administration's new health care law.

Instead, he thinks of his epileptic son Alec, 12, as almost a poster child for the new law and thinks that his family will benefit because it prohibits insurers from denying coverage of a pre-existing condition.

Two years ago, Griffin, a new law school grad, discovered that he made too much money at the Fort Worth law firm he'd just joined to qualify for his son's care under the Texas Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP.)

Alec's seizures, which had begun in 2003 but all but disappeared, had become constant, but more than 60 insurers rejected Griffin's applications for coverage. Turning to his wife, he proposed that they divorce so she and their two children could qualify for federal assistance.




Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/25/92810/new-health-care-law-a-godsend.html

[nyy1998]

1. "Turning to his wife, he proposed that they divorce so she and their two children could qualify "

That is just unbelievable. My jaw dropped when I read that.

[proudohioan]

3. Yeah, that one really didn't sit too well with me, either.

(Self edit)

It's not true that you cannot own a house or car to qualify for children's health care program; at least not in Ohio or Colorado. Maybe Texas is different?

[SocialistLez]

6. Probably

My step-dad's mom processes applications for that program and she says they are definitely behind and that you have to be DIRT POOR to qualify.

[proudohioan]

7. That's pretty sad.

I'm lucky to live in Ohio, I guess. At the time I got Medicaid for my kids, I could earn up to $15.83 per hour and my kids would still be covered. And this was back in 2006! However, I am a single parent, which makes a difference. And I suppose some folks might consider earning $15.83 per hour "dirt poor"; actually, I used to think that that kind of wage was pretty damn low myself; now? I'd kill to make "that kind of money"...... When I lived in Colorado, you really did have to be literally dirt poor to qualify for the kids insurance program. I consider myself lucky to live here.

t.

[JDPriestly]

9. The Texas lawyer is probably earning more than $15+ per hour,

quite a bit more -- like at least $60 or $70 per hour. I'm just guessing and I'm not guessing high. He still does not earn enough to pay for medical care for a child who is chronically ill.

[proudohioan]

10. Yeah, I would guess a bit more than $15+ change as well.

Sad how medical care has gotten out of reach for the majority of us; I remember when I got pregnant with my oldest one; I had just gotten laid off my job (1987) and had no health insurance; mine had been provided by my employer, so of course, that would make it a pre-existing condition to get on my husband's policy. So we just made some kind of nominal payment to the Dr. and Hospital for about a year, and it was done and over with. It seems like we ended up paying about $2000 for the whole kit&kaboodle. And there were some complications and an extra couple of days in the hospital. Fast forward to December 1991, second child born, same hospital, same doctor and that time no complications; but we had insurance and I remember getting the bill before the insurance company finally kicked in their portion; a whopping $7000 and change! We had to pay 20% of that, but still didn't bitch too terribly much about the co-pay, as back then, employer paid 100% of premiums. I still remember the shock I had seeing that total cost and thinking that just 3 1/2 years earlier we paid less than half that amount.....

I shudder to think of how much it costs young families these days just to have a baby, and how much health insurance has driven up the medical costs.

[Gormy Cuss]

13. According to the article, he's being paid around $23/hour.

The boss capped his pay at 48K so that the family could qualify for CHIP.

[Crunchy Frog]

15. He voluntarily took a salary of 48,000/year

so that he wouldn't have to divorce his wife for his son to get care. I'm not sure how much that comes out to per hour, but probably not $60 or $70, though that's maybe what he was making before his salary cut.

[happyslug]

18. Divide yearly salary by 2000 the yearly income, $24 an hour

40 hours a week times 52 weeks equals 2080 hours a year. If you assume a two week vacation (80 hours for two weeks) that leaves 2000. Thus to get yearly salary from hourly rate, multiple hourly rate by 2000. To get Hourly rate from yearly salary multiple by 2000. Now this assumes no over time but we are dealing with an attorney who is probably on salary anyway.

[SocialistLez]

11. Maybe this will help

http://www.chipmedicaid.com/cbo/eligibility.htm

There was a woman in my Health class last semester whose son is on ARKids First or whatever the program for children is here in Arkansas and she says they put limits on how many prescriptions can be filled a year and how expensive they can be.

Our state has already cut the budget for Medicaid and people with HIV/AIDs have faced a cutback on the help they get for prescriptions.

Of course we could always raise taxes on the rich but we can't have that. We'll be seen as having a "hostile" business climate.

[proudohioan]

14. Thanks; I'll stay in Ohio.

And it's a pretty sad state of affairs when we can't offend those precious rich folks, cuz they might get mad and stop supplying all of those good paying jobs and quit trickling down all of that wealth that they have amassed throughout the last few decades.......

Go figure!

[XanaDUer]

20. Isn't the USA *so* family-friendly?

nt.

[BrklynLiberal]

25. It is tragic that a family would have to do that in order to get health coverage for a child.

[roguevalley]

27. old couples often divorce to make ends meet because being

married is costly. I remember it often.

[UpInArms]

2. repukliCON family values - having to divorce so you "qualify for assistance"

these cretins will only fight to keep the top crooks in place - never to better the lives of those less fortunate.

[Iliyah]

4. Ya think

these types of stories will ever reach the main stream media? No.

[anigbrowl]

19. the McClatchy company *is* mainstream edia

It's the second largest newspaper company in the US
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_McClatchy_Company

[derby378]

5. If they wind up covered by WellPoint, Griffin will probably be dropped, anyway

This pathetic excuse of a HCR bill didn't stop rescissions by Big Insurance. Things are still going to get worse before they get any better.

Public Option NOW!

[Iowa]

21. I agree that we need a public option, but the bill does stop rescissions effective 7-1-2010...

...right? Or are there weasel-words in the fine-print that effectively neuter the ban on rescissions? Everything I have read states flat out that rescission is banned in all states this year.

[derby378]

28. Last I heard, there's a "fraud" provision in the bill

My understanding is that it is so broadly worded that your coverage can be dropped if you're found to have an undeclared pre-existing condition (i.e. cystic acne during your teenage years) because not declaring it would be considered tantamount to fraud.

[Iowa]

30. Oh, I see what you're saying...

I have been operating under the assumption that the fraud clause will be moot in 2014. But just in case it isn't, if I sign up for a new plan in 2014 that asks health history questions, I'll add something under "other" that essentially says I suspect that I've had every damned disorder known to man (and probably many that have yet to be discovered). They have to take me anyway, so I'll do whatever it takes to close that loophole.

[sonias]

8. I'm going to guess that he's a republican

Since he jokes he's the only one in his family that supports the bill. I wonder how Andrew Griffin will vote in November?

I'm happy for his son, and I hope that this experience opened his eyes about his party - but I'm skeptical. Come November he'll be railing about the deficit spending and voting for Perry. Who by the way keeps CHIP rolls as low as he can in Texas, since he hates for all children to have health coverage.

[Crunchy Frog]

22. What do you want to bet that this guy starts getting harrassment

and death threats from "decent, God fearing Americans"?

My guess is that his eyes will continue to be opened as to the true nature of the people he's been supporting.

[WolverineDG]

23. I don't know

a lot of attorneys eyes got opened when the State started demanding 9% of an obligor's GROSS income as reimbursement for Medicaid/CHIPS.

dg

[Gibben]

29. Thank You

This is Andrew Griffin, and thank you for your comments. I have long been a moderate and vote for the best person in office. Rick Perry last year demolished a bill that was passed by the Republican state senate and house in Texas. The Chips bill would have allowed for a pay in program up to salaries in the 85,000 dollar range. I would have greatly appreciated that avenue as opposed to the travel that I have had to continue on. My son has had over 2-3 million dollars in medical procedures, and even in the high risk pool the cap would have been eliminated shortly into purchasing that insurance, which also mind you would have been 2000.00 per month. I am very supportive of any politician who will look to the commonwealth first and their pockets second. Rick Perry is not a person with whom I support. I am not looking to avoid taxes or any other measure, only that I be allowed to provide health insurance for a 12 year old boy who would have no significant measure of hope without the government's assistance. My hope, and prayer is that the fix when put in will allow me to buy into a program and support my family as I have always desired.

[Doctor_J]

33. Well, Gibben, if that's really you,

I am happy that this legislation worked for you. Despite its deep flaws, and despite what Big Media has to say about it, it will save lives like your son's. Millions of them. And it wouldn't have passed if the president had not been elected.

Since you list yourself as a "moderate" Texan, that means very right-wing compared to most of the country. I am going to assume you voted twice for Bush Jr. and for Palin, and will probably vote for Palin again in 2012. Hopefully you will consider how lucky you are, and what will happen to those who have sick children and don't have a lawyer's salary on which to live.

OTOH, your post has some red flags in it, like this:

as opposed to the travel that I have had to continue on

and

Rick Perry is not a person with whom I support

Not lawlerly language. But if it really is you, bless your family, and remember that one person's socialism is another's life line.

[Gibben]

36. Thanks

No I voted for Obama and Kerry in the previous two elections. Most of the local elections have to be for moderate Republicans as this state bleeds very red. As far as my grammar goes, I simply wrote a quick excerpt and was not trying to make a glamorous speech. The article came about because my family was invited to Washington D.C. in the last week of March to lobby for the Epilepsy Foundation. During the meeting with the representatives from our state and the Congress man and woman we were invited to submit an article to the Washington D.C. writer Maria Recio from Chet Edwards office. The article to my surprise was submitted beyond the local newspaper, being the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I feel very strongly that the health care reform should cover all children no matter what. To that end I support the entirety of the bill.

[Doctor_J]

37. Well, I am glad that your family will be out from under this stressful,

intractable problem. Congrats on getting to meet with your Congress to get this all out in the open.

[renate]

34. good luck to you and your family, especially your son

:hug:

[Kingofalldems]

12. Kick this big time

[Crunchy Frog]

16. Repeal, repeal, REPEAL!!!!11 Can't you people see this is COMMUNISM???111!

How will you feel when little Alec is standing in front of Obama's Muslin death panel?

[rasputin1952]

17. Even with higher premiums, this man could not get insurance for

his kid because they would not take on "pre-existing" conditions. For God's sake, when are they going to say being alive is a "pre-existing" condition?

The one who truly suffers through this is the child, everything else is really superfluous in the scheme of things. The child suffers, we, as a society are obligated to alleviate as much suffering as we can, we do that through various government programs, laws and regulations. While I favor Universal Health Care, I know it will be a while in coming, but I cannot believe, for even a split second that some "bureaucrat" would deny this child the care they need. On the other hand, corporate medical care, at every turn has some "technocrat" sitting behind a desk thinking more about he company's bottom line than helping this child.

Call me a dreamer, call me an idealist, call me whatever, but when I read of any child, any man any woman that must suffer because it is all about squeezing that last dime out of someone; whether it be withholding medical care or raising the price of food, or anything in between...I believe our government should step in on a local, state or federal level and do something. And the miserable bastards that set the "rules" where others are permitted to suffer when there is a way to alleviate their pain should be at the least, shunned by society and at the most, be arrested and charged with neglect. Prison almost seems too good for those who would allow this national disgrace to go on.

[SocialistLez]

26. EVERYONE has some sort of pre-existing condition it seems

I'm 19 and mine would probably be acne or my migraine headaches.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

31. I think breathing is a pre-existing condition. Seriously.

:wtf:

[mvd]

35. Lovely post, ras

:thumbsup:

We've got to get the public option as the next step, and maybe Vermont is being a pioneer that will set a wave across the country. Yes, to a degree, I support *gasp" socialism! I don't want anyone to have to go hungry, without clothing, without health care, or without shelter.

[sendero]

24. Sure, his son will now be able to get....

. insurances like everyone else. In some fantasy universe. The are more loopholes in this so called mandate than a pasta collander.

[Doctor_J]

32. "We have the best system in the world!!!11!!!1!"

- hate radio