Long-time readers may recall a piece from a year ago, about a young couple in Iowa, who learned the benefits of the Affordable Care Act first hand. When I think about the law possibly being eliminated -- either by Republicans on the Supreme Court next week or President Romney next year -- I often think about Ross Daniels and Amy Ward, and millions like them.
In this case, Amy accidentally ingested some lake water during a kayaking trip in Minnesota, and in the process, she came down with a rare fungal pneumonia, a life-threatening illness. Amy's insurance used to have a million dollar lifetime cap on benefits, but the costs of her treatment well exceeded the limit. Thanks to "Obamacare," the couple wasn't forced into bankruptcy -- the law eliminates lifetime caps.
I've kept in periodic touch with Ross over the last year, and I can report that Amy's health, thankfully, has improved. He told USAction's Jeff Blum last week he's concerned about the upcoming court ruling.
"I cannot imagine the stress, grief and guilt Amy would have endured if, as she awoke after nearly 6 weeks in a coma, I had to tell her that everything we had worked for to this point in our lives would be gone -- our house, our retirement savings, and that we would likely need to declare bankruptcy. I cannot imagine what life would have been like if the Affordable Care Act were not the law of our land when we took that amazing vacation, a vacation that almost cost Amy her life. [...]
"For just one moment, imagine the stress of sitting in intensive care for two months, worrying about how you will pay an immense hospital bill while at the same time praying with your entire being for your partner or child to live against the odds. Please take one short moment to imagine telling your partner, or your child, as they awaken from a coma that through no fault of their own, everything will be gone -- no more retirement security, no more college savings for your child, no chance of owning a home again."
Obviously, Ross and Amy aren't alone. The New York Times has a gut-wrenching report today on Americans who have pre-existing conditions -- many of whom are ill right now -- who stand to lose so much if Republicans kill the law.
If the Supreme Court's ruling goes as expected next week, the right will be celebrating their philosophical victory, but for millions of families, health care isn't an abstraction, and their fate is tied to the law's fate.
As I said in September, my expectation has been that these folks would eventually, if the law survives, establish a strong base of support for the Affordable Care Act. When individuals and families are confronted with slick attack ads from professional liars, it's only natural for them to be skeptical about the merit of the law. It's a big shift and change can be scary.
But when confronted with a health care emergency, folks aren't thinking about the latest Republican talking points; they're thinking about their family's needs. And when we get past the nonsense, it's the dreaded "Obamacare" that protects families' interests in a way the previous, dysfunctional system -- the ones Republicans would reinstate -- would not.
In time, I suspect, more and more Americans will have real-world experiences with the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, and those folks will discover that the far-right repeal effort isn't such a good idea after all. But the key word in that sentence is "time" -- something the law may not have much of.
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If we could only get people to stop and think!
I totally believe in personalizing such stories. If people can visualize someone they know and love in a bind, it is less "number crunching" and more "human condition".
This is one reason some conservative folks refer to "bleeding hearts" as a bad thing.
It is the middle ground where the truth lies, people are affected by these policies. Nobody wants people to be reliant on government for everything, but we want the regulating to help our people.
The ACA is actually good for actual people and insurance companies, but some of us want the accent on actual people, hence the single payer, public option promotion. The ACA is also to help balance budgets for Medicare, which is not taking away from Medicare, but to help pay for it.
In the process people are getting more care and ideally it is less of a drain on Medicare budget.
Then we have some conservatives saying people should just die or become homeless first, then die. "American Exeptionalism" of which to be proud?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irx_QXsJiao
Sandy: you are right about the importance of personalizing the health care issue. However, it may be recalled that two years ago, some little children and their parents came forward to discuss the need for some sort of health care reform, and were promptly subjected to intense and invasive bullying from bloggers. I wonder if those events had the effect of silencing people who might want to come forward and say, "Yes, I need ACA."
And by the way, I do need ACA. I'm one of those struggling non-millionaire types. Heck, I don't even have a chicken to use as payment for medical care (Google "Sue Lowden"), and I don't think that a physician will take a middle-aged cat.
We NEED the ACA! We actually need a universal single-payer system but we'll take what we have until we can get single payer.
The Supreme Court is making everyone extremely anxious but just possibly it is also making us think, too.
Only to a sociopath are compassion and empathy bad things.
Im type i diabetic ...very diabetic. The "pre-existing condition" clause is worries me more than any other worry in my life. If I am denied health insurance, you might as well put a bullet in my head-same difference.
I'm in the same boat, as I'm diabetic, and I'm also self-employed so I have to buy my health insurance on the private market. If the SCOTUS strikes down the entire law, I'm screwed because I'm diabetic. If they only strike down the mandate and leave the provision to provide care for pre-existing conditions in place, I'm screwed because I'm self-employed. The only way I'm not screwed is if they leave the law in place as it is.
Therefore, I am screwed.
My,my,my what did we ever do before there was ever such a ridiculous thing as Health Insurance? I mean really can anybody really insure you that you are going to have good health for the rest of your life?If you want health insurance you need to first make every available means possible to get healthy.Doctors under the law have to see you as their patient. I'm sure if they take the Oath seriously they will have no problem accepting payments or helping you until you can afford to pay. They are dedicated to helping people heal and reach their most highest optimum health.They were afforded the luxury and the honor of attending Medical School which a lot of people are not privileged enough to do. So, they want only the best for their patients and they give only the best possible care to all of their health needs. Isn't that the way you've always heard it should be.
One question I've yet to see addressed is the question of retroactiveness if the Supreme Court rules against the ACA. If this is not carefully detailed in any decision, the courts will be swamped with suits, I'm afraid. For example, can the insurance companies reclaim the medical loss ratio rebates? (I don't see any legal argument preventing them, though trying to do so would be a public relations nightmare.)
What about the contracts that have already be entered into by people and insurance companies. "We wouldn't have signed her up, if it weren't for the ACA because pf her pre-existing condition." But you did, are you now bound by what you signed?
Or "I wouldn't have bought insurance then were it not for the mandate." Does that mean you can cancel the contract and get your money back?
If there were one practical reason for SCOTUS to uphold the ACA -- appeals to humanity and compassion rarely work with the fearsome foursome -- it's that, but IANAL and would like to hear from some. Ron?
Once the Supreme court rejects the mandate, they have to provide Americans with health care without insurance. So, there will be a flood of Doctors who will jump at the chance of providing that service. They will charge a reasonable fee and all the rich Doctors and Specialty Doctors and Surgeons will have to wait in order to get paid by the Insurance Companies. The ones that choose profit before patients will eventually lose business. The dedicated Doctors will remain helping people and be able to sleep at night. So, that will be the end of our present screwed up Health Care system.....Whoopee! I am so proud of our President. I know he has help with these matters, but he is one smart cookie.
But it is through her fault. She didn't buy enough insurance. She chose to go on that trip. Her husband chose to save her life. Each of them chose the wrong parents, since the children of governors and tycoons can just pay for medical care.
The sad state of our polity is, you can't really tell whether the above paragraph is a parody, or a legitimate Republican rejoinder. That's why the Republic is doomed.
I am going to assume that you said is in sarcasm, though I have heard the same thing many times where people really meant it, so I am going to respond for those who are not able to separate sarcasm from a "legitimate" Republican response.
Amy and I both have excellent benefits through our employers. Prior to the ACA, both of us had $1 million limits on all of our policy choices. There was no way for us to buy more insurance without buying it outside of our employers. Such was also the case for over 100 million other Americans.
That said, even as well protected as we were, who would have thought to buy additional health insurance beyond $1 million in coverage. The number of people who would really need it would be infintesimal. Does that mean they should be cut off once they reach the $1 million limit? Some would say yes, and I can only respond to that with, "not when it is your family lying there." To paraphrase Monty Python, " Nobody EXPECTS the Spanish Inquisition"
Regards,
Ross Daniels
Do you have any idea why such personal stories and such corrections of the lies about ACA, and the revelations about who bankrolled these lies are only coming out now, that the law might be voided?
I'm really curious. The media was terribly content to let the lies stand pat, and allow them to warp public polling on the law. Now that it might disappear, what's their idea? To make people regret its demise? What?
Yet we get our daily fluf and feel good pieces every day on the news , with zero mentioned about how the people afford the care they are getting , while all the losers who die a non hero's death from having zero , to not enough coverage , never get mentioned on any news programs, it is enough to make one scream puke in the msm faces
I read these stories and comments and it makes me so damn mad that these @#$@#!! Republicans think killing this is a good thing. And then I realize that that screwed-up year in Vietnam is the one thing that keeps me from having one of these stories myself. Thank god for the Veteran's Administration, where "pre-existing condition" is not a reason to deny care.
Pretty soon we will all have the kind of care you receive only better.
Never forget who we are dealing with: at a primary debate when faced with a hypothetical option of letting the uninsured die, a Republican crowd burst into applause at the possibility.
Republicans and their death panels. Only this time they're the real deal.
I hate to say I told you so, but ... what's going on right now is just the manifestation of every fear I had when Obama signed the damned thing. That the lynchpin was a constitutionally untested individual mandate that would eventually go before a reactionary, partisan Supreme Court. That most of the important aspects wouldn't kick in until 2014, which means the whole thing would fail anyway if Obama loses this year. That the mandate, by its very nature is subject to libertarian demagoguery. That Obama would stake his entire presidency on a bunch of warmed over GOP ideas. If the ACA is struck down and/or Obama loses, he will go down as the most disastrously inept Democratic President of the last 100 years.
Hyperbole much?
How can someone fear another human being receiving health care. What you should be afraid of is another human being not being able to get health care. That should weigh heavily on all of us. We should be taking care of all of our Brothers and Sisters not just the privileged few. Or would you rather them knocking on your front door asking for help?
I got sick 2 years ago while laid off and out of work , a responsible society would help you get well so you can get back to work , and not end up homeless , that is NOT how it works in america , and one reason is clintons welfare reform
Instead I had to wait a year to have a surgery , now I am too weak to do the job I once did , I can not even hold a phone to my ear for very long , and I am not qualified to get ss disability , even in that condition folks , and medicaid is set up to NOT diagnose you with an ailment , if they happen to , your in the system , and they actually fight to keep you out of it , as if anyone wants in it?
You either can afford real medical care , or you get little or none , medicaid is a joke , I have worked hard and paid into a few different HC plans thru the years , along with paying into ss disability for over 30 years , and when it came time that I needed help , pretty much nothing , the war on the poor
I've heard that SS disability is a laborious task and that most people get denied the first time. It may require a second application, or perhaps a lawyer (if you can find a pro bono or low cost lawyer) would assist.
I feel your story parallels my sister in law's story. She was facing the impending loss of her job (to be outsourced) and was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had been divorced from her husband, father of 2 children that became addicted, stole, got arrested, did time, became born again, divorced (all the while, my sister in law is raining the children). Her ex got remarried, but is busy with his new family and cannot seem to be any help. The son moved out, the daughter works as a waitress.
My sister in law went through the surgery, chemo, more surgery, infection, hospitalized frequently for this recurring infection. She ran through all her money, but has managed to keep her Health insurance. We are now paying her Health insurance and she also cannot pay her mortgage. Her mother (widow age 81) sends her a little money. She can't get a job, age 58, with recurring health problem. She said 6-12 months to get SS Disability. I told my wife, her sister; that someone told me it is rarely approved the first application. She is getting a lawyer (I am not sure how this is being paid for) to help streamline this.
She is not a lazy person, neither are you. Health changed and jobs lost either because of health or because of outsourcing. Not by choice, as some folks insist.
These people want to be independent, but circumstances beyond their control prevent this.
I hope this helps Patango, my sister in law and any other person. It is too late for my brother, he died because of no health care insurance. ER and ambulance sent bills, but he is gone. He lost his job in 2009 after his wife died in 2008, with her went his health care insurance. He paid into SS and Medicare and SDI for decades, but he is gone at age 57, too early to collect his SS or Medicare, too late for Health Care Insurance, let alone waiting for single payer.
Just thought this personal story might be read by these people that want to believe that everyone just can't wait to sit back and collect instead of work. People are hurting- big time.
Patanga, you should be very happy to know that preventative healthcare is free under Obamacare. And that you were one of the lucky ones who didn't die as a result of your illness. The problem was not with the healthcare itself, it was that the doctors or surgeons you employed were not dedicated enough to their craft.We need more Doctors who know there is no time to wait, people are sick and they need immediate attention.Where are they, what are they waiting for a special invitation from the Insurance Companies.
Thanks Sandy and Angel
I appealed it , had a lawyer , they would get a cut if I won is how that works , the lawyer said after the 2nd appeal , it was not worth going on , I can sit up and do a desk job , there for , no disability , and there is no such thing as TEMPORARY DISABILITY , even tho they advertise it , I did not even want to file for SS dis , but they made me just in case I got worse , the average is 2+ plus years before you get a check
I want to work , now I am trying to retrain and find a sit down job , my main point is that there is no safety net folks , anyone who tries to tell you there is , does not know what they are talking about , if you are not diagnosed as officially disabled , they just look at you like there is something wrong with you , because you must be a lazy liar
I go to the gym and bike and always have , my muscles to not retain any strength , it is all to weird to try and even describe to people it is like starting all over every day , and I did not know till this happened , weakness is very painful , it can make you nauseous , being sick andlooking for work is not fun , and being very limited in what you can actually do makes it near impossible , america 2012
So my sister in law has little chance either, it seems. We'll see.
But thanks for your story, hopefully it will be read and relay the truth about human faces trying to be productive, despite the roadblocks they must surpass.
Jobs are scarce, especially if you are above a certain age or cannot do physical labor. Best of luck to you.
I used to work in electronics, sitting down, soldering most of the day. I know they are mostly microscopic electronics now, if any jobs available in the area. Perhaps a driving job. I'm sure you know this already, too.
My brother was a machinist, sister in law managed and worked in speaker manufacturing but those jobs are scarce now, too. They are also physical. McDonald's is even physical.
The safety nets they wish to cut are for those that have been proven to be permanently disabled. Welfare only goes to those with children. Food Stamps are available, but those are also on the chopping block at a time of greater need.
It is so maddening to read comments about lazy people on the dole, as if that were the American dream, let alone the truth.