When James Howard was diagnosed with brain cancer in March he did not know how he would pay for radiation treatments costing $87,000 and $2,300 a week for chemotherapy...
After his diagnosis, UnitedHealth revoked Howard's policy on the grounds that his was a pre-existing condition. A Texas high-risk insurance pool would have paid for his treatments, but only after a year...
Then he learned that he was eligible for another high-risk insurance pool created by healthcare reforms passed earlier this year... He applied for enrollment in July when it opened.
"I've been to the doctors. I'm on my radiation treatments. I'm getting my pills in the mail," Howard said. "Everybody's talked negatively about the Obama reform plan and all that stuff. There's more to it than that."
Reuters
It's true, the high risk pool money supply is probably inadequate. It's true, the PPACA could have been a better bill. A stronger bill. One that controlled costs and reined in insurance companies a more. A lot more. It's true, more people should be being helped.
But credit where credit is due. The high risk pools, set up by the PPACA legislation, are up and running (or will be soon in some States that chose to set up their own programs instead of relying on the Federal program). And people who need it are getting help.
One of the earliest states to set up a new pool was New Hampshire, where Gail O'Brien, 52, was diagnosed with lymphoma in February. The uninsured school teacher faced using her retirement savings to pay for treatment...
"I asked my doctor if we could wait, and she said as long as it's July, right in July, then you'll be okay," O'Brien said. "It was perfect timing."
Sebelius and the team at HHS that got this program up and running deserve some serious kudos. And so do you. If you made calls, wrote letters, went to town halls, and/or blogged or did anything else to get a health care bill passed, give yourself some credit too.
It's a good feeling to read about real people getting the real help they need, isn't it?