Why I Support ObamaCare

This week I was shocked and ecstatic to find out that the Supreme Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act is indeed constitutional. This blog is really intended to be a parenting blog but I feel the need to discuss this topic because I feel like many Americans are confused by the Act and don't understand how it can benefit them. I would like to tell my little story about my battle with health insurance in the hope that it might shed some light on why we need help with our current health care system. It involves my pregnancy so I guess it is relevant to this blog anyway.

When I was 4 months pregnant, we lost our health insurance. I had left my job in Manhattan in December, where Scott and I were 100% covered by the company's health insurance. We never paid for anything, but our small copayments, for the three years that I worked there. I had a severance package with the company that included extended benefits, still fully covered, until March of the following year. I thought that would be more than enough time for me to secure another job and start receiving benefits from my new employer and we would never be without health insurance. It came as a shock to me when in March, at 4 months pregnant, I was still temping and not hired at a full time job. Scott is a small business owner and in our country, the price to provide insurance for yourself and your employees is so astronomical that it was not a possibility.

I never, ever thought that I would not be able to get my ultrasounds and see my OBGYN while I was pregnant. I had lived without health insurance before and had been fine but that's when I was young and single. Now I had a child growing inside of me that needed care and a husband who needed insurance too. I began to search for private insurance through companies like United Healthcare and what I found was shocking. A lot of private insurance companies didn't even cover maternity costs, and under the law or lack thereof, were not required to do so. They see pregnancy as a choice and therefore feel its their right to withhold benefits to expectant mothers. I never thought my pregnancy would be in the same category as an elective procedure like getting a boob job. The companies that did cover maternity care would cost upwards of $1500 a month with at least a $2500 deductible for each of us. At this point I was seriously trying to work out a plan to somehow have my baby in a country that had a universal healthcare system. I actually started googling if it would be possible to have my baby in Canada and how much it would cost. I thought if I could get in the car right when my labor started I might be able to make it in time. I'm not even joking.

We went a month without insurance and I just didn't see my OB during that time. We just couldn't afford a checkup and ultrasound on our own and hoped that nothing would go wrong with the baby during that time.

I finally found an affordable solution that fully covered my maternity care, when I discovered the insurance plan that the state of Connecticut offered. It was a Medicaid system based on the applicants income level. With our income we ended up paying $618 a month. I felt so much better knowing that I could see a doctor and that I wouldn't have to deliver my child at home in my bathtub, which was my alternative solution if the Canada thing didn't work out, and that's not a joke either.

The problem with the state insurance was that virtually no OBGYN in the area would accept it because of the smaller payment they would receive in return for their services, being it was Medicaid. My OBGYN said he would accept my insurance, because he's a saint, however the only hospital he is affiliated with did not accept the insurance. The one hospital that did accept the insurance was in the next town over, but there was not one doctor affiliated with that hospital who accepted the state insurance. So I either had a doctor but no hospital to deliver the baby in, or a hospital but no doctor. After about a hundred calls to the insurance, the hospitals, and doctors in the area, I realized that this was in fact a hole in the system that everyone knew about, and disagreed with, but weren't doing anything about. How could this be possible? We were paying $618 a month and couldn't even have a doctor?!

My only option was to go to the hospital that would accept the insurance and see the OBGYN in their walk in clinic for my prenatal appointments. There were two OBGYNs who worked at the clinic but only on Thursday's. The clinic opened at 8am and it was first come first serve, so to get an appointment you had to get there early and wait because the line got long fast.

Scott and I went to the clinic at 7am and sat on the ground outside the door with two other expectant couples. Soon enough there were more preggos joining us in line. It was sad to see so many pregnant bellies waiting in line like this. The clinic opened and everyone gave their names. It would be three hours until Scott and I finally saw the doctor. We found out at that initial appointment, that the doctor we would see for all of my prenatal appointments would most likely not be the one to deliver our baby. Any one of the number of on call emergency OB's could end up delivering the baby and we would never get a chance to even meet this person until I was actually in labor.

I couldn't imagine every Thursday having to sit outside a clinic, waiting three hours to see the doctor, and then not even knowing the delivery doctor when I went into labor. Scott and I just couldn't believe we were experiencing this. For three years we had the best benefits possible and now we were in a clinic with low income expectant parents fighting to get to an OB first. It was just wrong. I just had to try one more time to get an answer as to why this system was so unfair and ludicrous. I told Scott I was going to try one more time to find someone that could help me and if nothing worked, then we would just have to deal with the clinic. It wasn't ideal but it was better than trying to drive to Canada.

I started googling and I started writing. I emailed my story to hospitals, politicians, newspapers, and the insurance company. Finally, I got a response from the Stamford Representative named Michael Molgano. He was appalled that I had to go to a clinic and that there were no doctors accepting the state insurance. He decided he was going to try to help me. He made phone calls and told people my story. He wanted me to be able to see my OB and have him deliver my baby too. He called the president of the hospital where my doctor was affiliated and asked that they allow me to deliver there. After a lot of effort on both our parts, I was granted permission to have my baby at the hospital. I will forever be grateful to Representative Molgano for his help.

So I went back to my OBGYN, who we loved, after a two month hiatus, and ended up having him deliver Henry. I had a complicated labor that ended in a c-section so having a familiar face tell me that I was going to be ok made a difference. It was the scariest day of my life and I can't imagine not knowing the doctor who would have had to take care of us.

In the end, it worked out but only because I fought really hard and wouldn't take no for an answer until I exhausted all of the possibilities of getting a yes. But Scott and I wondered how many people just take that no and don't fight because it just seems too overwhelming to battle the healthcare system?

A couple of months after Henry was born, we were notified that the state insurance cost was going to increase, due to their budget. We were going to have to pay $900 a month now instead of $600. We decided to look into private insurance again as we figured if we had to pay that much money, we should at least have a plan that included doctors! So I started calling around and quickly found out that my husband and baby could get covered but, because I had a c-section, I could not. Having a c-section was seen as a pre-existing condition and insurance companies were allowed to deny anyone with a pre-existing condition. I was told since I had a c-section, I was seen as a risk because there's a possibility that I might have another one in the future. I endured 16 hours of labor, trying to have my baby naturally as to avoid a c-section, but it needed to be done. It wasn't a choice. I didn't schedule it ahead of time like a celebrity. But that didn't matter to Aetna because I was still seen as a liability.

We finally found a healthcare plan with United Healthcare. It's not ideal. It's $924 a month, with a $2500 deductible every year for each of us. We can't afford the rent at our condo and our healthcare so we are moving to a cheaper place so we can afford the insurance. I just finished up a three month battle with them over covering Scott's mental health. Did you know that if you've been to therapy you're seen as having a pre-existing condition and as a risk so the insurance company can withhold benefits? Yeah me neither. It took another hundred calls, letters, and getting the state involved to do an internal investigation, for United Healthcare to reverse their decision and cover Scott. What can I say? I'm stubborn.

We've been through some tough times dealing with health insurance but it's nothing compared to many other Americans. Millions of Americans don't even have insurance because it's too expensive or they have a condition that is considered too risky to cover, and that includes children. To put it lightly, our health care system is flawed. My therapist says insurance companies are the biggest scam going and he's right. They want to rake in as much money as possible and pay out as little as possible. It's unjust and needs to be regulated.

I support the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, because it's trying to do just that. It's not perfect, but it's a step in the right direction. Because of this act I can't be turned down for insurance because I had a c-section and I won't have to pay more than Scott just because I'm a woman. Henry can stay on our insurance plan now until he's 26 years old if he needs to. Starting in 2014, people like Scott and I who have been to therapy or taken medication can not be seen as having pre-existing conditions and denied coverage. Insurance companies will have to use something like 80% of the money we pay them, for our medical expenses and not for their own profit anymore. Seeing as how we pay so much every month, I'm pretty happy about that one.

There are a lot of benefits to having Obamacare. Like I said, it's not perfect but it's a start. Insurance companies have been out of control for too long. No one should ever have to worry about not being able to afford to see a doctor when they're sick. So I'm really happy that something is starting to happen here that will make it possible for Americans to be able to get insured.

I've heard people say they oppose Obamacare and everyone has a right to their opinion. However I would like to know what parts of the plan are unsatisfactory to the naysayers. I'm curious. I can't honestly see how a person could be opposed to every part of the plan. I've read that a lot of people don't even know what is in the plan and how it can benefit them.

I wouldn't have known just how bad our system is if I didn't have to go through these battles with the insurance companies. I can honestly say, after my experiences, that I'm looking forward to a more just healthcare system and hope it just gets better from here.