You want another reason I'm against the Baucus bill?

[Pab Sungenis]

A friend just posted this blog. All personal information has been redacted to protect privacy.

___ and I are fucked. Mostly me.

___ just found out that effective Jan 1, 2010 my HIV medication is no longer covered under his company's medical insurance.

Here is why this is fucking us over:

1) My current job is a mom and pop company that does NOT have insurance coverage, thus why I was on ___'

2) The State of X has ran out of money to cover government funded HIV medication for new applications and soon current people who rely on this assistance.

3) My medication each month would cost me out of pocket close to $10,000 without the insurance coverage.

Needless to say this has put a damper on ___ and I's spirits.

What to do:

1) ___ and I are going to start immediately to look for new jobs. Ones with better medical insurance.

2) When the time gets closer, take advantage of the 3 month prescription option to get at least 90 days worth of medication to allow me some little more time.

3) Worst case scenario #1: See if I qualify for medicare

4) Worst Case Scenario #2Find jobs in a new city in a new state and hope we can make it there.

4) Worst Case Scenario #3: Move back to Y, move in with my family or a friend, and pray I can get on the Government assistance program there. As ___ told me today, he did not move me to X to die.


The worst part is we have less than 90 days for us to find a solution.

Fuck.

So for those of you who want no public option, and want individual mandates to reward the insurance companies who do shit like this, and want to throw people like this on the mercies of states that won't or can't fund proper medical care, let me just say "fuck you."

The Baucus bill must be stopped now.

[Pab Sungenis]

1. What, no snarky comebacks?

No lurking Freepers? No unrec trolls?

Not so nice when the the effects of the system YOU want to enshrine at best or make worse are thrown in your faces, huh?

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. It is a tough market out there.

Even if you say you are willing to self-relocate, companies aren't biting on non-local resumes. They have enough talent in the local pools to take on the risk.

I hope your friends are able to find a solution before it all goes south for them.

[LuvNewcastle]

3. Good luck!

I hope you find a solution to your dilemma soon. I wish we could have something closer to one of the House bills rather than the Baucus bill, but the Baucus bill is getting all the attention right now. If we're stuck with the Baucus bill, I hope it is heavily amended.

[sandnsea]

4. Are you fucking insane??

A health plan that MUST take people with HIV and CANNOT rate the premium based on the illness - AND has subsidized premiums to boot -

and we should prevent this person from getting medication because it's not through the public option????

You're nuts if you think that.

[Pab Sungenis]

6. He needs the public option

because the private sector won't cover it.

You're nuts if you think we should let people die who can't afford $10,000 a month.

Or you're on the Senate Finance Committee.

Or is that redundant?

[sandnsea]

9. The law will require them to cover it

How could you miss that?

[Pab Sungenis]

7. Actually, let me clarify.

Under the bill you're defending, this many will be forced to PAY for insurance that WON'T COVER HIS MEDICATION. Then he'll have to pay for his medication on top of that.

If that's what you want, then go be a fucking Republican.

[sandnsea]

11. Argh. You made that up as sure as the "death panels"

were made up. The plans will have required elements and HIV medication will be part of it. Don't lie.

[Pab Sungenis]

13. Point to the part of the legislation that forces HIV medication.

And point to the part that prevents them from charging him $20K a month for insurance because of that condition.

You know what, forget it. You're in Baucus' back pocket or blind. No use talking sense to you.

*plonk*

[sandnsea]

16. There are caps on all the bills

And they all have tiered plans that will be required to be the same. And they will set the regulations on the insurance plans exactly the same way they would with a public option. Why are you so damn convinced the public plan will cover this when the reason this person isn't getting their medication now is government cut backs. Why don't you try thinking instead of blindly following whatever comes out of the mouth of Ralph Nader or Lyndon LaRouche.

[ThomCat]

19. Those caps are fatally incomplete.

Insurance companies are left a hell of a lot of leeway to set the copays, deductables, and patient's portion. So even if the cost of the insurance is capped, that doesn't cap the cost of the insurance.

Under the draft that was released, people with pre-existing conditions CAN be sold insurance that is too expensive to use because of high copays, deductables and patient's portions, and that is on top of hitting the cap of $5,000 per year in the cost of the insurance, which is pretty damned expensive if you ask me.

[ThomCat]

18. The draft that was released

required that people be covered regardless of pre-existing conditions. But nothing in the draft states that every medication MUST be included in the formulary, so they can certainly continue to exclude medications, including HIV medications that they don't want to cover. Also, nothing in the draft prohibits the insurance companies from setting rates based on your pre-existing conditions. They just have to cover you, but they are allowed to charge you a fortune for that coverage, and have huge copays and deductables so that the insurance is unusable.

You're looking at the draft with wishful thinking and too much optimism. He's right, and you're wrong.

[spanone]

5. don't think you'll get too many folks defending baucus bill....it's not the final bill

[Pab Sungenis]

8. But it will be the basis of the final bill

unless we stop it now.

[sandnsea]

10. It is not, will not, it's been explained repeatedly

There are 3 bills in the House and the HELP bill in the Senate. There is NO WAY the Senate bill is going to be the basis of anything. We need to get the damn thing onto the floor so we can start making the changes while we've got momentum.

[Pab Sungenis]

12. If the conference report is too far from the Senate bill

(i.e.: has a public option if the Senate bill didn't) then enough conservative Democrats will join the Republican filibuster.

If the Senate bill doesn't have the public option, and the conference report doesn't have it either, the House will vote it down.

Either way, if the Baucus bill reaches the floor of the Senate then health reform is DEAD. Or, worse yet, the Baucus bill becomes LAW.

[sandnsea]

14. You hope because you're so cynical

you'd rather have failure and see people die than fight for success.

[BlooInBloo]

15. Don't bother - there's nothing that will convince them that it won't be the Baucus bill...

They're too invested in it being as bad as they can possibly imagine.

[PHIMG]

17. The Public Option you still have to quite your job to get access to?

That public option?

The public option that nobody will have access to until 2013? That public option?

The public option that will at most give healthcare to 9 million people when we have 40 million uninsured?

The public option that does little to reign in insurance company absuses?

The public option that is being sold to us so we'll ignore the individual mandate that is being crammed down Congress by the insurance companies?

The Public Option Is a Distraction. Insurance Lobbyists have the Congress right where they want it and it's time for Partisan Democrats and Public Option people to WAKE UP AND SMELL THE SCAM.

What we need is Medicare For All.

[TheKentuckian]

20. Who here doesn't want the public option at minimum? Not to be argumentitive

I'm very sorry about the situation and it makes me feel fortunate because I have my health.