Seriously, this is driving me nuts. I can't get straight answers from anybody, including my Senators -- and every expert, doctor, or Kossack I talk to gives me a different opinion.
I currently have the pre-existing condition of Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes. As it is a disease that cannot be cured (nor prevented), no insurance company in Michigan will insure me. Except, of course, for Blue Cross, the "insurer of last resort." So that's who I have. The insurance is an absolute joke, as you may remember from my Christmas Eve Health Care Story, but I suppose I do still "have health insurance".
I have gotten confirmation that the rule to require private insurers to accept those of us with pre-existing conditions will not be enacted until 2014. So, this much, I know. But from the Senate website, I see this:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will provide $5 billion in immediate federal support for a new program to provide affordable coverage to uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions. This provision is effective 90 days after enactment, and coverage under this program will continue until new Exchanges are operational in 2014.
Okay... but I do have insurance. I'm self-employed, and Michigan doesn't allow "groups of one" policies for small business owners like me, so I have to buy a Blue Cross Individual Plan. It just doesn't cover anything, and I'm currently spending more than 1/3rd of everything I make just on the medication needed to keep me alive. I don't qualify for private insurance, but am not "uninsured" by this definition, am I?
Should I stock up on insulin and cancel Blue Cross today, so I'm "uninsured" and can qualify for the new program? How long do you have to be "uninsured" before you can qualify for real insurance?
A few people told me that the bill only provides immediate help to those who "could not currently get insurance, due to a pre-existing condition". But this makes no sense. The non-profit Blue Cross operates in all 50 states, and has to accept everybody, regardless of pre-existing conditions. So if it only applied to those who "couldn't get" health insurance, no one would actually qualify for this new benefit, since every single person in the entire country can get insurance -- through Blue Cross. So that can't be right either.
What do you think, community? Can someone in my position qualify for any help under the new plan? Or do I have to wait until 2014 before I can actually qualify for health insurance that adequately covers my condition?
p.s. -- if you vote "no", please elaborate, because I can't rationally understand who would qualify for the new benefit.