A year ago, the parents of a little girl in Ohio were worrying that they would soon exceed the lifetime limit on their health insurance. Taylor Wilhite had been diagnosed with leukemia at age 8, and her treatment -- rounds of chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, long hospital stays -- had been stupendously expensive.
"No one tells you that you have a cap" on coverage, says Amy Wilhite, Taylor's mother. When a social worker warned the Wilhites that they should check, they learned their limit was $1 million. By then, they had spent $770,000. Taylor's father's company managed to negotiate the maximum up to $1.5 million, but Taylor's oncologist said the cost of her care could hit $3 million to $4 million. "I was just frantic," Amy says.
As the cap got closer, the Wilhites began to put off care for conditions that weren't life-threatening, but the bills kept mounting. "The cost of medicine, you just wouldn't believe," says Amy. And hospital room charges -- "you'd think she was in a resort."
The options for people near the limit weren't pretty. Cancel all but essential treatment, scramble for charity care, or contemplate bankruptcy. But then came a reprieve. The health reform legislation, which President Obama signed into law a year ago today, contained a provision that barred insurance companies from setting lifetime limits.
The provision took effect last September, and suddenly, one huge concern was gone. Taylor, now 12, isn't entirely out of the woods; her leukemia is in remission, but she needs continuing care and monitoring, and a hip that deteriorated during her procedures requires that she use a wheelchair to go long distances. But the Wilhites no longer have to worry about hitting the insurance limit -- and, from now on, other people struggling with their own or a loved one's devastating illness won't have to endure the added anxiety that the money will run out.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Happy Birthday ACA! [Bryan]
The Affordable Care Act (aka, "Obamacare") passed last year today -- one of the most memorable days of my political life. Some people may wonder why I cared so much about the health care debate. Here is why:
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2 comments:
how about us who have a "good" income, but who still barely make it..and our rates rise, and rise, and rise...LOVE the health care system.
Good question! From what I understand, there are several ways ACA will help control costs. First, the "exchanges" will make the market clearer to consumers. Second, there are also many ways the law tries to control costs in Medicare and Medicaid -- paying doctors for success rather than for amount of treatment. To the extent these work, they will serve to help control costs across the board.
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