When last I wrote on the topic of healthcare back in February, I envisioned writing many posts on the ACA this year. I was HOT. I wanted to showcase some stories (besides mine) of people who have been helped by the law, and I wanted to encourage activism to prevent its repeal.
But I find my capacity for outrage is finite, and the constant barrage of bad news on this topic and others has stretched it to the limit. ObamaCare has survived almost an entire year without Obama, with little help from me other than the occasional Resistbot letter to my Congressmen (who voted in favor of every lame proposal thrown up by the GOP this year despite my pleas).
In just a couple of weeks I’ll be back on the ACA website, and I wanted to tell y’all a little about the way this year–on a new plan–has gone for us. I want my readers to see at least one story that demonstrates that the ACA is NOT imploding (Yes, it needs revision. I have always said that) and that it is still helping people.
In addition to regular checkups for John, Emily, Teddy, and me, we’ve had some expensive extras that would have either been out of reach when we were uninsured or would have thrown us deep into medical debt had we chosen to go forward with them. Back in March, John developed bursitis. He went to the doctor three times–including twice to a specialist–and the chiropractor once, had two sets of X rays and an MRI, and got a cortisone shot and several medications. All this helped us to meet our deductible early in the year (we are still paying for the MRI), but we wouldn’t have gotten in the door to run up these bills if we didn’t have insurance. I cannot stress this often enough: insurance equals ACCESS!
In September, John’s doctor was concerned with some symptoms he was having and ordered an EKG, and then sent him to a cardiologist for further testing. I haven’t seen the bills yet for the stress test and heart ultrasound performed at the hospital and two visits to the cardiologist (he’s fine, by the way), but I know that we will only be paying 20% of the negotiated rate. Insurance equals LOWER PRICES!
I had my first mammogram this year, and am scheduled for my first colonoscopy in November. If I didn’t have insurance, rest assured I would not be getting these screening tests performed.
Finally, last week I noticed some discomfort and a coating on my tongue. I was pretty sure I had an oral fungal infection. Did I wait to see if it got better on its own? Did I look for home remedies? That’s what I would have done and did do, back in my uninsured days. No, I called the doctor and made an appointment IMMEDIATELY, got some medication, and felt better after two doses. Being able to go to the doctor right away is a privilege I do not take for granted.
Have we had issues with the ACA this year? Certainly. Due to quirks in the sign up process, we were not allowed to insure Jake. So when he wanted to go to the doctor in September, he went as a self-paying patient. However, the fact that he has been insured the past three years meant that he had a relationship with our doctor, and she was willing to see him and even give us a discount for paying the whole bill up front.
Also, I don’t much like having to get my prescriptions at Food City with its limited hours; but on the other hand its small size means a very personal touch that I didn’t always experience at Walgreens, and a relationship with the actual pharmacist.
Look for another update after I undergo the tribulations of Healthcare.gov. Last I heard, Blue Cross will be making a reappearance in the Marketplace, but I have no idea whether our former plan will still be available or how much the rates may rise.
For more of my ObamaCare stories, see below and click away!
The $64,000 Question, Answered
Who Are the Uninsured?
Uninsured No More
ObamaCare Update
ObamaCare Update 2
ObamaCare: My Latest Update
ObamaCare Revisited
More on Our Journey to Health, Brought to You by Obamacare
It’s Good to Be Insured: An ObamaCare Update
Obamacare in Practice: An Update
An Open Letter to My Friends Who Want to Repeal ObamaCare
Obamacare Update: Good, Bad, and Ugly
Not Repealed and Not Imploding: An ObamaCare Update
Through Medi-share, we sometimes do self-pay upfront and then submit that bill to Medishare ourselves. My daughter’s 40,000 dollar surgery was only 9000 with self-pay. It is crazy!
That is so wonderful. Not that $9,000 is affordable either, but relatively speaking that is a big discount.
We are on Obama care for the second year now after Mike retired. We have a $11,000 deductible. Until it is met, we have to pay for everything, but we do get the insurance discount in most cases. It is more like a catastrophic insurance than a anything else.
I also want to add that our choice of doctors is extremely limited. Most don’t take our insurance plan which is our only choice here in Florida. There is only one dermatologist in town, for example.