So I caught this story by NOW on PBS on Pre-existing Conditions called Can your health insurance coverage still leave you uncovered?. This is a great story if you have some time to check it out.
More about the video below the fold:
Here is the quick summary of this family's story.
8 year old girl gets sick. Some time later, mother switches health care companies. New company says that little girl has pre-existing condition and they won't cover her unless she can go 1 year without an incident.
SCREEEEEEECH, so here is the first point at which my heart sank. So yes, loving parents have to make a choice between getting care for their daughter or hoping they can wait out the year deadline.
Back to the story, of course, the girl got sick and the parents had to 'wait it out' to see if she was really sick enough. She does end up OK, but not before a horrifying trip to the ER in which the mother describes the girl as turning blue...
Holy sh*t...I can't even imagine.
Back to the story...the family ends up on Medicaid and has to find way to stay on it because Medicaid is the only health insurance that will cover the little girl and doesn't care about her "Pre-existing Conditions". Which is all gravy until the family starts making too much money and the case worker seriously suggests the family get divorced and give the kids to the parent making less money, so that parent & kids will still qualify for Medicaid.
There are other sub plots and some other stories in the video (including a family whose child has Autism), but this is the plot line that stuck out to me. It reminded me of a snark that one of my right wing friends posted on Facebook a while back....paraphrasing
We should live in a world where puppies never grow up and people shouldn't have to choose between a waffle cone or a sugar cone.
Right, because health care is just like choosing between a waffle cone or a sugar cone...sigh....
Oh, and make sure to look for a special apprearance from our favorite Senator, Doctor, Pastor & Nutjob Tom Coburn :)