A Start is A Start So #GetCovered
As the clock ticks louder, I think more about the decisions that just shouldn't have to be made. When facing a breast cancer diagnosis, my mother chose to attempt to take her own life rather than to navigate the health care universe without insurance.
I've never set those words down anywhere before, I don't think. Saying them gives too much power. So, I choose not to say them.
But at the end of the day, I know that she isn't the first person to think her life was worthless when faced with medical bills that couldn't be paid. That ... ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE are why I care so much about making improvements to our health care system.
It's broken.
It just is.
Every day, our neighbors make decisions based on finances and not their health. There is no quick fix, there is no Band-Aid, there isn't even a "right" way to fix the mess, but I feel like we have to start somewhere. I think, for now, the Affordable Care Act is that somewhere. It's not The Answer, but it's the closest thing we have to A Start.
All of that is why I wanted to participate in a conference call with Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, regarding the Affordable Care Act. The call was arranged by BlogHer and featured two bloggers talking about their experiences, as well as information from Sebelius. I already knew the bloggers' stories (here and here) because the blogging universe is the tiniest giant universe ever.
Even though I knew their stories, I still learned a lot during the call. For example, I learned quite a bit about how the Affordable Care Act has leveled the playing field for women's health issues. It is now illegal to charge more for health care services provided to women than for the same services when provided to men.
Which, the hell? I had no clue that women sometimes paid up to 50% more for identical services than men did. We get paid less in the workplace, but charged more at the doctors office? I can't even.
I also learned a lot about the options available to get help with enrolling and/or questions regarding the plans offered through the marketplace. For example, you don't have to rely 100% on the website (which definitely got off to a rocky start, but seemingly has been stable since early December). You can call 1-800-318-2596 to talk to a human about the available options. Or, you can go to Localhealth.healthcare.gov to find someone local to speak with in person. I'm sure that information has been advertised, but I somehow completely missed it.
At the end of the call, there was an opportunity to ask questions directly of Sebelius. I have TONS of questions about the Affordable Care Act and how it will grow and evolve over time, but instead of asking one of mine, I decided to ask Facebook what they would ask. I only managed to get the first question in, but it was a good one.
Obamacare rocks. Here's the problem: it's better than what is offered through employers, so why can't I keep it when I have crappy insurance offered to me through an employer, or spouse's employer? Especially when I have many different health needs...
In a moment of pure awesome, I got to listen as THE WHITE HOUSE answered a question posed by a reader. (HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!) The long of the short is that employer coverage will need to meet certain criteria in the future. For one, it has to be "affordable." It also has to honor consumer protections mandated by the new laws. If employer-sponsored plans don't meet the requirements, you may very well be able to sign up for a plan through the Marketplace. Sebelius stated that the conversations are continuing with issues like this one and that she expects improvements to occur to all plans over time.
Sure, it's partially a political answer. It absolutely isn't an answer that leads to magical changes that will make everybody happy. But, it's A Start.
A Start is what we need right now.
So, if you're not insured, get insured. Go to healthcare.gov and find out what options are available to you. Open enrollment ends March 31st, so #GetCovered now. Then pressure insurance companies to include more doctors in their networks. Another thing you can do is contact your politicians to influence them to turn A Start into Something Even Better.
We deserve Something Even Better.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Reader Comments (7)
My heart breaks thinking of your mom, and even more so for you being left behind.
Hospital costs are the reason for a large share of bankruptcies, and a large share of those people have insurance. As you said, the system is broken. ACA makes great changes such as no pre-existing conditions and no lifetime caps, kids can remain on their parents policy to the age of 26 so they won't have to decide if they can afford healthcare when just beginning their adult lives and careers.
Thank you for writing this and empowering others to sign up.
This wasn't a start. The politicians blew up a system that was helping 85% of the citizenry. Now many of those are not covered or have had their insurance premiums and deductibles raised to much higher rates. [millions have lost their insurance and have now had their premiums go up, I have friends who this has happened to and they're trying to figure out what can I cut in my budget to have Obamacare which isn't as good as what they have, yes there is always another side]Or they've lost their jobs all together from ACA. Because they didn't know what was in the bill or how it would affect millions they've ruined many. I've survived both breast and colon cancer. I had great coverage from my employer but not now and I can't even keep my onocologist because now they have to cover things that many don't need or even want. Why couldn't we start smaller and build a better system? I don't believe anything this administration and especially Sebelius has to say about healthcare. They have lied, changed the "rules" at their whim and caused mass chaos. The whole difference in pay has been debunked and this administration is one of the worst at equal pay. I do believe changes needed to be made but really we have ruined others for others to get health insurance. And I was interested because I would be one of those with pre-existing conditions so I'm not blind to changes needing to be made but this was irresponsible. People were hyper critical when people (dare I say Republicans?) were asking to delay a year but no since it was the other party they couldn't do it, not what is best for the citizens let's step back and re-assess, no let's just keep moving forward because it would make us look bad. And Sebelius has admitted under oath that the back end of the system including the security has not been finished. So do I want to risk putting my medical information on a site that others can hack? I feel bad about people not having insurance so I was excited that some changes would be made... But, I've also seen the other side since my family owns a business and this is going to kill our family business when it goes into effect which oh yes they've delayed for the next election because a politician's job is more important. Did anyone ask why the politicians aren't going on Obamacare? Why do they get an exemption, if its so good why aren't they being forced on it as the rest of us are. I hope someone in the group pushed back on them but I'm sure they were careful which bloggers got to be on the call. And the CBO says yes this will decrease costs but only for a short time and then it will balloon in costs, it will also cause loss in job hours. So that person who has awful insurance from their employer will get the chance pretty soon to see that often "the grass looks greener on the other side." And don't get me started on how we don't have enough doctors and nurses already....
Good for you! This is (as usual) a great post. This healthcare plan is a start and claiming everything has to be perfect or we can't do it at all is BS and sour grapes. I grew up without health insurance and "working for 85% of America" is SO NOT GOOD enough. And I will always wait longer to see a doctor so that all of my friends and neighbors can get healthcare too. Heaven forbid I should have to wait in a line so someone's life can be saved.
All the feelings about this post. A few of the loudest: Proud, happy, teary.
Thank you for continuing to make sure people are paying attention, Michelle.
I said this on twitter last night- but thank you so much for writing this post. After generations of talk of healthcare reform, something has happened. It's the first step down a long road, but it's a step. Thank you for encouraging your readers to explore their options and get coverage. The more we figure out about how the ACA works, and doesn't work, the better we'll understand how to fix our broken system.
I agree that the ACA is not perfect, but it's a good first step towards fixing a broken system. Because, as Megan said, '"working for 85% of America" is SO NOT GOOD enough.'
My heart breaks for your Mom and everyone her life touched.
A question -- why aren't we angry with insurance companies? They have raised rates annually for as long as I can remember, while also reducing the coverage. At the same time, they're posted record profits.
I ask that because the EXACT same plan that I have through my employer is available on the Marketplace. Same coverage, same people covered ... it's EXACTLY identical, except that it costs over half as much. That's even with my employer covering part of the plan. How is it that UPMC can offer me the exact same insurance plan for half as much through the Marketplace but my employer has to pay significantly more when providing insurance to 3000 people?
Then there is the fact that I essentially have to stay in network if I want a service covered, which means I have to go to a UPMC doctor. The insurance plan is making money on one side of the equation, and then again on the other as a healthcare provider.
Insurance companies have been charging too much for a very long time. They can blame the Affordable Care Act, but I'm not buying it. If that's what it really is, they wouldn't be spending millions to try to defeat the new laws that force them to play nicer.