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.