So I know that none of you asked, but I'm going to share my thoughts anyway. Why? Because my own thoughts are so very contradictory.
People need insurance. Not lazy people, not moochers, not poor people... Sick people. They need insurance. And healthy people~they need health insurance too.
Those of you who just tuned me out, give me one more chance. Say you get sick. Tomorrow, you hear the dreaded cancer word. Of course you choose treatment. You are healthy otherwise, with a good prognosis. Good choice. The treatment makes you really sick. The cancer does too. Your twelve weeks of family medical leave goes by quickly. Sadly enough, your employer needs someone to do your job, so you lose it. Don't worry though, you can cobra your insurance cost for usually about $1,100-1,500 a month. Yep, a month. So you apply for social security disability. At least this way you can get Medicare. Oh sorry, you didn't know that you aren't eligible for Medicare for TWO YEARS after you get disability? Hmmm. Now your savings is running out. How long can you really pay $ 1,100 plus a month for insurance? Your income on disability, although it is just 60% of what you used to make, is too great for you to qualify for charity care and in most states too great for Medicaid. So you decide to talk to your doctor about options. If he agrees to see you without coverage, you will hear there are no other options, without insurance. Eventually, you will meet me, your hospice social worker. Your prognosis was much better when you had insurance. People are screaming about "death panels" when I literally watch people die because they got too sick for insurance.
Ok, now there is my current situation. Neither Chris or I have coverage through our employers. So we have a private insurance through blue cross blue shield. We pay almost $500 a month for a really high deductible. But, we are managing. I've been keeping tabs on the marketplace, somewhat hopeful that we too would have lower deductibles and premiums. Not going to happen. As I've searched the marketplace, it appears (I say appears because we have all seen the glitches) that we are going to pay between two and three hundred MORE a month for insurance. What's even better, is the news is reporting that the website is grossly underestimating costs in many cases. And, if I'm reading it right, my kids will be forced onto Florida healthy kids program, basically a program for kids whose parents make too much to qualify for Medicaid. All fine, except that when I priced healthy kids for us last year it cost more than insuring my kids through blue cross with us. I really don't like the idea that I do not have a choice in who covers my babies; or a choice in the type of coverage I want.
Paradox. That first story I shared is not just a story. I've seen it played out numerous times. I have faces and names that run through my head as I type it. I know it could be my own family if we lost our ability to pay for coverge. I want people whose only fault is that they are sick, to afford treatment. I also want choices for them and for me.
Is Obamacare going to solve some of these problems? No. Especially as states refuse additional Medicaid funding. It will create an even wider gap as the marketplace will kick people out siting they are Medicaid eligible and the Medicaid office will say no because they should go through the marketplace as Medicaid wasn't expanded.
Not even close...maybe won't even help many at all. And may even hurt me personally, a lot.
But every time I hear someone say "people just need to work for insurance", I cringe. All of us are one diagnosis away from loss of coverage. The system is so very broken. I don't like this "fix" because it isn't one; there surely must be one though...
