So I’m a Bit of a Fixer-Upper
I’m tired. I’m tired of sleepless nights, of fall sicknesses and I’m damn sick of teething. But I’m sitting here, late at night, the computer screen’s unnatural brightness begging my eyes to stay open. I’m writing this for myself, as a way to free all of the frustration and irk I feel by seeing Facebook post after Facebook post, bitching about Obama and his Affordable Care Act. All I hear is negativity and pessimism and I’m sorry– but there are good things about this law and I don’t think they’re being fairly represented. Honestly, I don’t think they’re being represented at all.
Maybe I can be the person who puts a human face to the issue that so many vehemently deny value.
My name is Chelsey. I am 29 years-old, female. I have had very minor health issues, and very major health insurance issues. I was diagnosed (sans insurance) with food allergies at age 20. I was working full time, and going to night school at a local community college. And though the college provided Health Services, they were very limited. I decided to apply for health insurance, so that I would not be one of those horror stories that end with a health scare and a $10,000 bill.
The insurance application asked that I list any sicknesses or health issues from the past three years; mine included food allergies and one bladder infection. It is important to stress here the benign nature of the aforementioned—my allergies are not life threatening—I just need to stay away from certain foods that give me hives and digestive problems. And according to the Department of Health and Human Services, bladder infections are the second most common type of bodily infection. Point being, neither are a rare nor serious health issue.
I received a letter from the insurance company a few weeks later, denying me insurance due to my pre-existing conditions (though it was not clear if they were referring to my indigestion or possessing a bladder). Let me repeat—at 20 years old, with very minor health issues, I could not get health insurance.
I became a professional health care aficionado, through hours and dollars wasted. I once waited 12 hours in line at a local San Diego clinic, with strep throat and a high fever. I spent $1300 on a five minute trip to the ER, $800 of which was noted on the bill as a charge for merely walking through the door. I utilized things like The Minute Clinic in CVS pharmacies, which usually have little to no lines and base fees. Their abilities are limited, but for many ailments they were, and still are a viable resource.
The years passed and I got married, but my husband works in an industry where Contract and Temp positions are the norm. Another three years passed of mucking through the health care wasteland, before we finally got health insurance through his job.
As someone who had not had health insurance for a decade, it was bliss. Our plan was amazing, we paid little-to-no deductibles and the care was great. I even had an advice nurse who I could call 24/7. I felt like I had really made it big. I felt taken care of.
But all good things come to an end, and my husband’s company was bought out and his department was laid off. I was six weeks pregnant at the time, and had two choices looming before me: go without health insurance for my pregnancy (as pregnancy before the ACA was deemed a pre-existing condition and thus I could not obtain insurance) OR I could pay the outrageous fees of COBRA to keep my current insurance. My husband and I decided to pay the fees, for peace of mind’s sake.
The story takes a real turn here—one that I take complete responsibility for, but that is worth mentioning because honestly, it could have happened to you.
I was eight months pregnant, had an eighteen month-old, my husband was working long hours as another Temp Hire, and we were moving into a new house. And I forgot to pay our health insurance. I did not receive a letter, an email or a phone call—all of which they had. Instead, the following month when I logged in to pay our bill, I was informed our insurance was cancelled. I filed a claim, sobbed on the phone to the poor man working the line, wrote enraged emails to the company–all for nothing. My due date was November 29th, 2013; thirty-three days before the ACA, which would allow me to get new insurance, would be initiated.
Needless to say, we made it work. I utilized my support network, including my sister-in-law who was a Labor and Delivery Nurse. I had a healthy baby boy twenty-one days before the change in insurance policy. We were out a pretty penny, but mom and baby were safe and sound in a wonderful hospital.
I signed us up for Health Insurance as soon as I had the option. Beginning January, thanks to the tax refund we received through the Affordable Care Act, we could actually afford to have the family covered. Not only did we have insurance, but there were certain criteria that the new health care laws had changed that affected me most: no more denial due to pre-existing conditions, and specific visits had to be covered (most applicable to us was Well Baby Exams, including vaccinations and yearly OBGYN appointments).
It is necessary to note that the ACA is not flawless; in fact, it has many. But I continue to fight for its potential. I am amazed by the amount of people who discount it. Our insurance is basic, and when I went in to the doctor’s a few weeks ago, a nurse scoffed, “Oh, Obamacare? Of course your insurance is terrible. I hear that all of the time.” I told her what I will tell you now—I think of my current insurance as catastrophe insurance. I have a high deductible, but any major issue will be covered. The important thing to focus on is that at this time ten years ago I was denied insurance altogether. At this time one year ago, I was pregnant and unable to even apply for insurance.
We are moving in the right direction.
I am the first to admit that the Affordable Care Act has problems. Of course it does—this is the start of a massive overhaul of health care in the United States. Keep complaining and pointing out the flaws so it can get better. Demand that it evolve into something that we can be proud of. But please, please, do not discount the entirety of the act because of its problems. Do not vilify an entire idea because in the first year it is not perfection. Continue to discuss its flaws not to moan about policy and politics but in the need for progress, and in the hope of improvement.
