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Little Or No Medical Insurance?...You're Not Alone
Politically Perfect Legislation
I am one of those jaded souls who long ago gave up hope that Congress would ever do anything right. But I now stand corrected as our leaders have indeed crafted the epitome of politically perfect legislation.
Part of our new health law contains a provision for sick people who can’t get insurance anywhere else. Unfortunately it has been dead on arrival. After one year, less than 1/10th of 1%...21,000 out of an estimated 25M uninsured people with cancer, heart disease and diabetes have joined.
Last year, when the law was enacted, it was projected that if enrollment reached expectations, funding could run out. So far, only 2 percent of the $5 billion budgeted has been spent. (You may have noticed the approximately 20X disparity between the under one percent signing up and the 2% spending probably virtually guarantees that if it wasn't so well crafted, the law would have gone way over budget).
Why has it been so slow to take off?
The program was intended to fill a gap until 2014, when state-run health insurance exchanges will offer assumedly affordable coverage for everyone. It seems this flash of Congressional brilliance evolves from a requirement that only patients uninsured for at least six months are eligible. The provision was added to reduce the number who would qualify.
Wait! You mean Congress had an idea that worked?
Yup. Oh, what symmetry to it all. It seems many patients with late stage cancers and other progressed diseases don't tend to live long enough to hit the 6 month eligibility gap. Another version of allowing patients to die in the waiting room.Part of our new health law contains a provision for sick people who can’t get insurance anywhere else. Unfortunately it has been dead on arrival. After one year, less than 1/10th of 1%...21,000 out of an estimated 25M uninsured people with cancer, heart disease and diabetes have joined.
Last year, when the law was enacted, it was projected that if enrollment reached expectations, funding could run out. So far, only 2 percent of the $5 billion budgeted has been spent. (You may have noticed the approximately 20X disparity between the under one percent signing up and the 2% spending probably virtually guarantees that if it wasn't so well crafted, the law would have gone way over budget).
Why has it been so slow to take off?
The program was intended to fill a gap until 2014, when state-run health insurance exchanges will offer assumedly affordable coverage for everyone. It seems this flash of Congressional brilliance evolves from a requirement that only patients uninsured for at least six months are eligible. The provision was added to reduce the number who would qualify.
Wait! You mean Congress had an idea that worked?
One more reason for failure is that the insurance isn't free and, whadd'ya know, many uninsured patients simply can't afford the premiums. You have to admire the craftiness of it all. Hope...just out of reach.
Everyone's happy...well, at least in Congress. The Democrats backslap themselves silly over their victory for the Little People while the Republicans' ghoulish laughter reverberates in the hallways as they count coins in the treasury.
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