When I was a young engineer working for Lockheed, on the space shuttle, I had company healthcare, I signed on to a HMO. It was very nice. I was young and healthy. During this time, I was told by my a LIFE insurance company that I would be “rated” as I had a fatty liver? What? Was this a problem? Not really, said my dr. What could I do? Nothing, said my dr. I could not get LIFE insurance, that was the only effect.
Years later after multiple jobs in other high tech manufacturing companies, I was laid off and found that I could not get health care, other than Cobra, which cost $1800 a month. I went for it and later got another job that covered healthcare. After that job was outsourced to china, I found myself, wife, and 14 year old daughter again, without health care. I finally applied to Colorado’s cover colorado for “high risk” people.They were the only ones who would insure my wife and I. My wife joined me as she had high BP.Thats all, how many have high BP out there? Our daughter, was not to be covered because no company would take her without my wife and my self, who they would not insure. She was taken by one company, and then cancelled for no reason other than, “we don’t take single policies any more”.
“Luckily?” my unemployment (I’m a 53 year old engineer) and financial status now qualified us for medicaid. My wife and I have both medicaid and cover colorado. My daughter has medicaid only. She has been sick and medical costs were in the tens of thousands. My wife has been sick, and her costs were in the multiple thousands. I now have heart and diabetes issues, and my costs have been very high as well.
Cover Colorado is being replaced by the Affordable care act, Thank you President Obama. We’re looking forward to it. Cost for Obamacare is estimated to be $3-400 dollars a month for the three of us, saving us well over $1000/month starting january 1 2014. I cannot wait.
Those wishing to thwart Obamacare wish to deny my family affordable health care. I have put my thirty years into the system. I worked every day I could with the belief that Americans can do this well. Why is it that someone thinks this will be bad. I know it will be better than some person deciding “No Soup for You!”
We, the People! Not we the corporations!