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Everyone now is clamoring about Affordable Care Act winners and losers. I am one of the losers.

My grievance is not political; all my energies are directed to enjoying life and staying alive, and I have no time for politics. For almost seven years I have fought and survived stage-4 gallbladder cancer, with a five-year survival rate of less than 2% after diagnosis. I am a determined fighter and extremely lucky. But this luck may have just run out: My affordable, lifesaving medical insurance policy has been canceled effective Dec. 31.

My choice is to get coverage through the government health exchange and lose access to my cancer doctors, or pay much more for insurance outside the exchange (the quotes average 40% to 50% more) for the privilege of starting over with an unfamiliar insurance company and impaired benefits.

Countless hours searching for non-exchange plans have uncovered nothing that compares well with my existing coverage. But the greatest source of frustration is Covered California, the state's Affordable Care Act health-insurance exchange and, by some reports, one of the best such exchanges in the country. After four weeks of researching plans on the website, talking directly to government exchange counselors, insurance companies and medical providers, my insurance broker and I are as confused as ever. Time is running out and we still don't have a clue how to best proceed...

...Before the Affordable Care Act, health-insurance policies could not be sold across state lines; now policies sold on the Affordable Care Act exchanges may not be offered across county lines.

What happened to the president's promise, "You can keep your health plan"? Or to the promise that "You can keep your doctor"? Thanks to the law, I have been forced to give up a world-class health plan. The exchange would force me to give up a world-class physician.

For a cancer patient, medical coverage is a matter of life and death. Take away people's ability to control their medical-coverage choices and they may die. I guess that's a highly effective way to control medical costs. Perhaps that's the point.

Terry B. wrote:Obama doesn't seem to learn that speaking in absolutes is good for a candidate but not so good for a politician in office.

Terry B. wrote:Obama doesn't seem to learn that speaking in absolutes is good for a candidate but not so good for a politician in office.

Before the Affordable Care Act, health-insurance policies could not be sold across state lines; now policies sold on the Affordable Care Act exchanges may not be offered across county lines.

milosz wrote:Fairly sure this:

Before the Affordable Care Act, health-insurance policies could not be sold across state lines; now policies sold on the Affordable Care Act exchanges may not be offered across county lines.

is flat wrong.

Likewise, what actually happened in the above is that Aetna decided to shut down part of their business. Obama didn't force them to do so and no one's pretending they aren't going to remain massively profitable under Obamacare.



Sure, Obamacare isn't going to work, but that's because we can't act like every other civilized place on Earth and institute a national, single-payer healthcare program.

milosz wrote:Fairly sure this:

Before the Affordable Care Act, health-insurance policies could not be sold across state lines; now policies sold on the Affordable Care Act exchanges may not be offered across county lines.

is flat wrong.

Likewise, what actually happened in the above is that Aetna decided to shut down part of their business. Obama didn't force them to do so and no one's pretending they aren't going to remain massively profitable under Obamacare.

milosz wrote:Sure, Obamacare isn't going to work, but that's because we can't act like every other civilized place on Earth and institute a national, single-payer healthcare program.

DrDonkeyLove wrote:He said I could keep my health insurance policy if I liked it.

nafod wrote:

DrDonkeyLove wrote:He said I could keep my health insurance policy if I liked it.

Making promises about things you don't control is always stupid. That's like if he said you'd always be able to buy a twinkie.

I'll say that Medicare has done right by my recently passed away Aunt and my currently very sick MIL (who has Tricare backstop).

A key for insurance companies is to get young, healthy people to join up. This will have to involve sexy women, violence, and drugs in some way, so look for insurance companies to start sponsoring MMA fighters and placing ads on porn sites. They can offer free VD checks and stuff.

Turdacious wrote: Health insurance companies are not 'massively profitable'-- their margins are thin.

Most 'civilized places' are moving away from that model in some form or another.

milosz wrote:

Turdacious wrote: Health insurance companies are not 'massively profitable'-- their margins are thin.

Nigga please. You're not going to pretend that the latter precludes the former, are you?
Aetna's profit in 2012 was over a billion dollars, I believe.

Most 'civilized places' are moving away from that model in some form or another.

This is almost as rich as when you crowed about Switzerland cutting taxes... to a top marginal rate 66% higher than ours.

nafod wrote:I'll say that Medicare has done right by my recently passed away Aunt and my currently very sick MIL (who has Tricare backstop).