There was a time when I would've considered the ACA unnecessary. That I would've been annoyed by it. This was also a time where I had little to no interest in politics. It's funny how life has a way of humbling a person and teaching them something new about themselves on a regular basis. This is a story about how I ended up needing the help in order to make myself better.
"Well why didn't you just get a new inhaler?" I felt a sinking pit in my stomach. I was at a follow up visit to my doctor after ending up in the ER a few weeks before because bronchitis had made my asthma worse and I couldn't breathe. The first thing my doctor asked me was where my inhaler was when this had happened. After all, that was in my plan. I tried to explain to her that I only had one inhaler and it had been stolen the week before when I was riding the bus. Somehow, despite my explanation she didn't understand that since I was uninsured at the time, I just couldn't afford a new one. It was only after the ER trip that a friend of mine had pity on me and bought the inhaler for me.
I lost my insurance in April 2012 because I had been working at a call center that had outsourced its customer service department overseas. This was my fourth lay off in about six years. The whole time I had been trying to go back to school but in playing musical jobs I had never managed to do so. I decided to make school my focus and work secondary and deal with it.
Because I have asthma, I've never been able to get insurance without going through my work before. COBRA would've cost me over six hundred a month, and while my state had opened a high risk pool, it was still too expensive. My NP was awesome and made sure I got refills of my medication before I lost my insurance and gave me a list of community services for when I did lose it, because she knew I wouldn't be able to come back afterwards.
I did everything I could to make sure I would be taken care of. I signed up for a prescription plan at a local pharmacy, I found local clinic that was free, run on community donations. Still there are things that free clinics couldn't handle. Waiting all week to see a doctor because you got sick on Sunday and the free clinic is only open on Saturday isn't helpful when you're so sick you can't breathe. The doctors are volunteers so there's no guarantee of continuous care. In fact, the push is to get you into a local public health or community clinic, but they often were not taking new adult patients or were an hour drive away.
It was about a month after I lost my insurance when I found a lump on my right side, along the edge of the breast tissue. The free clinic provided me a referral but when I called the places they suggested I was turned away. I was told I was too young, that the office no longer provided services, or that they were out of funds for the year. I continued to fight to find a way to access services, but without a referral from a PCP I was getting nowhere. I finally took the time to bus out to one of the few clinics taking patients. They contacted a local imaging center attached to a public hospital to get me in. This started in June, I was finally in for imaging in October. In November I would get a biopsy and find out it was benign. It took me six months from start to finish to find out what was there.
It would be another year before I would get insurance again. In that time I ended up in the ER enough times the doctors started to recognize me. There really wasn't anything either of us could do. I couldn't manage my health without being able to afford regular doctor's visits and medication and they couldn't make a solution appear out of thin air. My wisdom teeth got infected and had to be removed but had to wait two months for a dentist who would help. I was on antibiotics so long I ended up with a GI infection. Bronchitis, allergic reaction, a set of second degree burns from how bad at cooking I can be. They got to deal with it all, despite the fact that most of these things were preventable.
All if this changed in January of last year. I live in one of the states that approved the Medicaid expansion and set up their own healthcare exchange. I was there on day one to shake hands with the Governor, tell him my story, and sign up. I stood up with him to others to encourage them to use the exchange as well. It is the only day of class I've missed since I started back.
Because of the Affordable Care Act I was able to get needed blood work that I had not been able to afford. Reliable access to medication. The first thing my PCP did, remembering how just a few months earlier I had ended up in the ER because I didn't have an inhaler was make sure to get me a prescription for one so I had a backup. One thing I know is I appreciate the opportunity more than I could ever express.
I know there are naysayers out there who will tell me that those things are not really free and that someone has to pay for them. One day I'll graduate and that person will be me. I seriously hope that I am paying to make sure someone gets the care they need with the money I pay into the system. It's saner than paying for what happens when they can't. The system we have isn't perfect, but it can only get better if we put effort into it.
If that poster is in WI, yep..that is sadly correct. The best policy my daughter and son in law could find is $580.00/month premium with a $12,600.00 deductible. That is coverage for both of them.
That's just crazy- I wonder why it's so much more expensive in WI?
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
That's just crazy- I wonder why it's so much more expensive in WI?
In part health insurance costs are higher in Wisconsin than in Minnesota (for example) because of the choices that were made by Governor Walker relative to the ACA and health insurance options for the citizens of his state.
Well one thing I would propose is that if as a nation we are FORCED to have health insurance, then their shouldn't be limitations on test. As I stated earlier, they are covering things when they know people wont use. Eg. Providing coverage for fertility treatment for women in their 60's but they wont cover Mammograms when they need it now. It's these stipulations why people think its a rip-off. I pay close to $6000/yr for premium yet my son can not get the ABA that he needs?! That is just crazy! That's $6000 I could use towards my sons treatment, if I wasn't forced to waste it, and yes, it is wasting because I am getting nothing from it.
I have no problem in paying for the less fortunate, but not when I have to sacrifice and pay and get nothing while they get everything.
just recently I got the stomach bug and puking my guts out, and even though I'm paying premium, I could not afford to go to the hospital so what is the point?!
Insurers aren't actually charging for fertility treatment for 60 year olds since that would be a violation of the actuarial value requirements of the ACA. The predict how many people would likely use various types of coverage (which wouldn't include coverage of prostate conditions for women, for instance), so no, you're not paying for that.
ABA treatment coverage is actually required for ACA plans in MA.
Coverage for major healthcare costs is required because the care that produces those costs is required to be provided. If a hospital is legally required to provide that care, it only seems fair that people should be legally required to help ensure that bill can be paid.
Just like prior to the ACA, you have the option of either a higher deductible plan with lower premiums, or to reduce your deductible by paying higher premiums. I would love to pay only $6k in premiums, but like the average person who gets their insurance through their employer, my insurance costs about $15k, and while my deductible is lower than yours, I'm paying an extra $9,000.
That's just crazy- I wonder why it's so much more expensive in WI?
Even before Obamacare, a comparable plan (employer-provided) was about $14-15k per year. If you're only paying $7k a year why shouldn't the deductible be higher? And that assumes that price is correct, I can't find anything that high in WI:
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
Oh I see. You just like to voice opinions about how a country should be run despite not living in it.
So I take it you've never voiced an opinion about anything that has occurred outside of the US?
I dont recall any AN rule that states only Americans may particpate in subjects concerning America.
When an American citzen (naturalised NZer) is diagnosed with a terminal illness and would rather die in New Zealand away from family and friends because to return home to the US would mean they leave their loved ones a legacy of debt is a fairly large indicator that your system is broken
Thanks for this article. It brought tears to my eyes. My family was unable to afford health insurance for most of my life. My parents lived paycheck to paycheck and we were lucky none of us ever was seriously ill or requiring hospitalization. While in nursing school, my family was one of millions who was able to join medicaid with the new expansion. There was so much relief off my shoulders to know my brother could now get his psoriasis medication for free (he had been on it on and off when we could afford it). My mom could get a mammogram. My dad, who is at high risk for CAD and DM could get some blood work done.
I got a job soon after getting approved for medicaid. As soon as my first paycheck came in, I went back through the exchange and changed my income, telling them I did not qualify for medicaid anymore. I purchase my own insurance now although my family still relies on medicaid. My insurance is expensive... about 300/mo for pretty bad coverage. I complain about it when I get the bill every month. But I am truly happy to be able to afford it and to know that I am doing my part to help those who cannot afford health insurance. That used to be me.
I remember the 350 dollar bill I paid to get a prescription for penicillin when I got strep throat. I remember the embarrassment of asking for a "handout" at planned parenthood when I got a UTI and needed an abx. I remember watching my tooth slowly rot because I knew I had a cavity but I already owed so much money to my dentist I couldn't afford to go back for more work. The Affordable Care Act was a saving grace for me and my family.
Since the patient affordability health care act commonly known as Obamacare DOES NOT guarantee affordability OR more importantly access to healthcare, ACA is not healthcare! Just because you have insurance (any insurance), doesn't mean the hospital, doctor, pharmacy, etc. has to accept your insurance. No acceptance without an alternative means to pay equals ZERO ACCESS.
So those of you stating people need healthcare, while healthcare is not in our constitution or bill of rights (that's a separate debate), ACA isn't bringing you healthcare because it does not guarantee access let alone guarantee controlling costs, being affordable, etc.
Thank you.
P.S. Ruby V, it continues to be covered by LifeStyle News and other sources about ACA covering abortion. Furthermore, while the Supreme Court ruled on Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood being able to opt out for abortion coverage, that ruling didn't extend to private citizens and other areas beyond small, family controlled, businesses. And the issue is the money I earn and use to pay taxes should not go towards areas completely opposite of my faith. If someone wants to murder an innocent baby, I should not be forced in any way, shape, or form to pay for the murder.
I did not say all the unions. my direct quote is "one of the many unions or business who donated to Obama's campaign". Nice attempt at trying to put words in my mouth. Also nice try putting up a link to a 2011 Politifact when it was 2013 that Obama attempted to give ALL unions a waiver.
Specializes in E/R, Med/Surg, PCU, Mom-Baby, ICU, more.
I already gave you one example; someone who's spouse makes more than enough for financial support but for whom group insurance is not available,
One has always been able to buy their own insurance from companies such as BCBS. It isn't like you are required to find a job before you can get insurance.
Since 1977, federal law has banned the use of any federal funds for abortion, unless the pregnancy is a result of rape, incest, or if it is determined to endanger the woman's life. This rule, also known as the Hyde Amendment, is not a permanent law; rather it has been attached annually to Congressional appropriations bills, and has been approved every year by the Congress. The Hyde Amendment initially affected only funding for abortions under Medicaid, but over the years, its reach broadened to limit federal funds for abortion for federal employees and women in the Indian Health Service. Until recently, insurance coverage of abortion for women in the military had been even more restricted so that pregnancies resulting from rape or incest were not covered. In early 2013, an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act expanded insurance coverage for servicewomen and military dependents to include abortions of pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, as permitted in other federal insurance policies.5 Federal funds cannot be used to pay for abortions in other circumstances, and abortions can only be performed at military medical facilities in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest.
The ACA reinforces the current Hyde Amendment restrictions, continuing to limit federal funds to pay for pregnancy terminations that endanger the life of the woman or that are a result of rape or incest (Table 1). State Medicaid programs continue to have the option to cover abortions in other circumstances using only state funds and no federal funds. President Obama issued an executive order as part of health reform that restated the federal limits specifically for Medicaid coverage of abortion.8 The law also explicitly does not preempt other current state policies regarding abortion, such as parental consent or notification, waiting period laws or any of the abortion limits or coverage requirements that states have enacted.
Anna S, RN
452 Posts
That's just crazy- I wonder why it's so much more expensive in WI?