"Obamacare" worked today. Help me spread the word.

[DrToast]

Found this on Reddit and figured I'd pass it on.

My mom has been trying to get health care for years. She's 57 years old, has rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and congestive heart failure. As bad as that may sound, these are all very treatable conditions if you have insurance.

Ten years ago, my mom started a non-profit performing arts school and theater company that has changed the lives of hundreds of kids. But the school is too small to be able to buy a group plan for its employees. And my mom has been trying for years to get private healthcare and been denied by ALL the major health insure companies where she lives. There was no government high-risk insurance pool in her state, and to get on Medicaid, they wanted her to sell her house and reduce her income by half so that she wouldn't look like she had so many assets. This summer, her state opted to use the federal money from the recent health care reform law to establish its own high risk health care pool. Today, she got the letter that she will be covered in 30 days at a very reasonable cost.

What this means to her is that she will finally be able to access the kinds of treatments that will greatly improve her quality of life. The fingers on her right hand have bent almost 30 degrees. Before this, she couldn't afford the tests to qualify for the better treatments that will halt the deformation of her hands. She also frequently has to wait on tests because she has to save up or petition the doctor's office for a payment plan. My mom works seven days a week to give her community access to amazing cultural experiences - and this healthcare is going to allow her to keep that going for much longer. I'm not sure that everything in that legislation was a perfect idea. But this will change a huge number of people's lives in very real ways and we need to let people know.

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/d7zt6/obamacare_worked_today_help_me_spread_the_word/

[napi21]

1. That's GREAT! Please post it again tomorrow AM & PM so many who have already gone to bed or

just not siged on to DU tonight have the cance to read it. It's stories like this that will help change the attitudes of so many who think the new HC laws won't do anything.

[SugarShack]

19. Actually, Obama care does not kick in until 2014

Just saying....maybe healthcare companies see the writing on the wall...and are gearing up.

[Hoyt]

31. The PCIP plan started July 1.

According to the new government site -- healthcare.gov:

"The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) is a new program offered in every state under the Affordable Care Act. It can be administered by either states or the Federal government. The PCIP may be able to help you if you've been locked out of the insurance market while the nation transitions to 2014. In 2014, you will have access to affordable health insurance choices through a new organization in your state called an Exchange—a time when you can no longer be discriminated against based on a pre-existing condition."


While there are a lot of issues with the "Affordable Care Act", there are some things that will help some people. I hope to heck Congress starts improving it quickly.

[mzmolly]

2. K and R.

:toast:

[FrenchieCat]

3. I'm afraid this will not be judged a "good story" here.......

We are betting on losing so that there won't be anymore
feel good story about ordinary Americans helped by this
administration. We are not about "that".

[DemocraticPilgrim]

4. Good to hear it worked out well, if we stick with the President he truly save the nation..

Very few Presidents have stepped up to the plate to do much of anything for the people. The fact something has got done means this is a new era and we have to keep going. We're moving the right way, we have to keep going or we shift back so fast it will ake our head spin, not fear mongering realism.

[bigwillq]

20. Hello

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[damonm]

5. Spread. Shared the Reddit link on FB. n/t

[eridani]

6. Good for her

And shitty for the people who are priced out of the high risk pool, of whom there are far more. Why do you expect the people who are still drowning to cheer for a rescue boat that only takes some of them?

[Mimosa]

7. Great story

I'm going to drop my unaffordable insurance and see if 6 months from now I can get insured.

Will report later.

[glowing]

39. if you can be insured by a company, you won't qualify for this program.

[Hekate]

8. I am so happy to kick this thread.

:bounce:

[lillypaddle]

9. k&r nt

[Connie_Corleone]

10. K&R

[Vinca]

11. I'm happy it worked out for her. It sure as hell isn't working out for me.

[LiberalFighter]

12. People please bump this up.

[druidity33]

13. I'll K&R this

But i'm curious to know what "a very reasonable cost" would be.

:shrug:

[Mojorabbit]

17. We checked

and for my hubby it will be a grand a month. It is doable for us but have to figure out what to cut to make it happen.

[smiley_glad_hands]

14. K&R. eom

[firedupdem]

15. K&R n/t

[Sheepshank]

16. This bears repeating

K&R

On another thread, I'd mentioned chatting with a self employed Rep. He will be voting DEM because of HCR. His wife, who contracted diabetes a few years ago, will no longer have to deal with pre-existing conditions and can get health insurance.

[Schema Thing]

18. rec'd

[DevonRex]

21. K&R. nt

[tallahasseedem]

22. This is just one...

of many great stories to come! The haters will still bitch though.

[Safetykitten]

23. What are the payments. How much does she pay? What is her deductable?

Until the specifics are given it is just that, a story.

[DrToast]

24. Well, it's still a story even if you knew those answers

But if you really want to know, go read the thread on Reddit. It's in there.

[JNelson6563]

25. Awesome!

:toast:

[Cha]

26. Thanks DrToast for spreading

the good news for this lady and I'm sure there are more than a few others that it's helping now and will help even more in years to come:fistbump:

[BootinUp]

27. This post should be locked

based on the current DU meme and all, its way to divisive. Typed with toungue in cheek.

[Change Happens]

28. Brilliant!

[SunsetDreams]

29. K&R Great News!

[Gman]

30. Wow! A positive number for the rec count

[Highway61]

32. Glad to kick!

Good for your Mom

[McCamy Taylor]

33. High risk health care coverage is a rip off, My husband and son have it.

$5000 deductibles (per member) huge coypayments. YOu have to be rich to make the premiums which are higher than any other insurance premiums in the state, you have to be rich to pay the deductibles and copayments---and then, if you are lucky enough to be very sick, you get health care.

Sorry, but "high risk" insurance is only good for the upper middle class--like most of our so called health care reform.

[quiller4]

37. Now that I have high risk coverage my deductible dropped to $3000

and none of my preventive care exams are subject to the deductible. My thyroid and cardiac tests were covered at 80% and not subject to the deductible. My premium used to exceed $500/mo. Now it is $315. All of my prescriptions now cost me $4/1 mo or $10/3 mo. (generic levothyroxin and beta blockers). There may be differences state to state but my experience in Washington and my sister's in Oregon are really positive.

My husband and I retired early and our pension income does not qualify us as upper middle class.

[golfguru]

34. Very happy for your mother but I am holding off my personal

opinion until I get the new rate letter from my employer about my
healthcare contribution for 2011.

[quiller4]

38. The original post was not about employer provided health insurance

but about the high risk pools established for individuals under the healthcare reform bill. You are comparing apples to oranges.

[suzie]

35. K&R

[wial]

36. saw it too and was going to post it myself

thanks for beating me to it!

Did you see their comment section, how they're really going for it, setting up websites, facebook stuff, etc?

And wouldn't it suck if the powers of darkness really do succeed in ripping these meager provisions, so much less than they should have been but still something, away from us again?

2010 America is like Dickins' unjust 19th century England. How did it come to this when we were doing so well until the 1970s oil crisis? Nixon's evil? Reagan's stupidity? The idiocy of neoliberalism?

Having no power in this oligarchy we are not really citizens anymore. Maybe Beck is right. Maybe all we have left is god and honor, like Rome after the fall of the republic (as described well by Gibbon).

I hope Reddit proves me wrong!

[Number23]

40. K&R What a great find.

[nevergiveup]

41. K&R.... I am very happy for your mom.

[CTLawGuy]

42. this is going to make some lefties very unhappy..

nt

[Jakes Progress]

43. So how does it make the righties feel?

[CTLawGuy]

45. probably the same

they also want Obama to fail.

[Jakes Progress]

49. So to you

there is the left and then there is the right and then there are those who want Obama to succeed. Do you only identify with the person or is there a place where policy and position mean something?

I'm assuming you don't identify with either the left or the right since you feel they both want Obama to fail.

[Jakes Progress]

44. Maybe his mom could buy some insurance for Henry.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9059366

[Lifelong Protester]

46. I am hoping we hear more of these types of stories

even though I am guessing if you are positive about HCR in any way, you are flame-bate here.

[grahamhgreen]

47. How much is the coverage?

[Safetykitten]

48. Yes for a tiny select group.

The PA program is as follows:

Premium: $283.20 per month

Deductible: $1,000 in-network, $10,000 out-of-network

Out of Pocket Limit: $5,000 in-network, $20,000 out-of-network

There's a co-pay and co-insurance amount as well that's not listed, but probably will be similar to California's which I posted elsewhere in this thread. As far as I can tell, Pennsylvania is charging the same premium for everyone regardless of location or age. However, they only have funding to cover approximately 3,500 people.

Edit: There's also a question of how big their network is. California's seems to be pretty big but I can't speak for Pennsylvania.

Read the comments on that thing. We are the laughingstock of the planet....one of the tamer ones.

"I love watching Americans debate the "current" health care issues as offered to them by the corporate media. It's like watching a bunch of rats climb over each other to get to air."