Health Care & Politics

This is what a pre-existing condition looks like.

It's no secret that the ACA (Affordable Care Act) is under extreme pressure right now. It is on the verge of being completely dismantled by our government. Replacement is still hazy, with no real plan being announced for something to take the place of ACA at this time.

I'm doing my best to keep up with what's happening on this front, but things are happening so quickly right now that it is difficult at best. I'm aware that ACA is not a perfect system. There are issues that need to be addressed, including rising health care premiums and deductibles that are breaking the pocketbooks of many Americans.

That being said, I'd like to point out a few things that ACA (Affordable Care Act) has done that are positive. So no matter what side of the ACA fight you're on, I think we can all agree on the fact that we want the best coverage we can get, and it needs to be financially affordable for all Americans. If the ACA is overturned, let's hold our lawmakers accountable to make sure that certain protections are kept in place. If the ACA is kept, and "fixed," let's hold our lawmakers accountable to make sure that everyone can afford good health care coverage.
Some things that the ACA has done:

1.) Children are allowed to stay on their parents' insurance until they are 26 years old, giving them time to complete a decent education and establish themselves before taking over this costs themselves.
2.) No insurance company can deny health insurance to a person based on a pre-existing condition (I have 3 of those!).
3.) A person's health insurance premium is not based on their gender (it used to be) or their health conditions (same thing). Pre-ACA a woman was charged more than a man for health insurance. And if you were lucky enough to get health insurance with a pre-existing condition, you could be charged way more for your premium.
4.) There are no longer annual and lifetime caps on what an insurance company will pay out for a patient. Pre-ACA, an insurance policy could limit the dollar amount they would pay out in a year, or even in a lifetime. Someone with a chronic illness or traumatic event could max these out and be stuck paying the difference.
5.) Preventive care is now free. This means your yearly check up with your doctor is free to you. This just makes sense. Regular health checkups mean less illness. Less illness means less cost to the insurer and to the patient.
6.) Birth control is free to women. Let's think this out: Pregnancy is expensive for patients and insurers. If you offer free birth control, there are less unplanned pregnancies, meaning less cost to insurers and patients. Less unplanned pregnancies also mean less abortions, and I think everyone can agree that is a good thing.

These are all positive, GOOD things that came along with the Affordable Care Act. We need to keep these things (among others) if we are to have a strong, healthy society. So no matter how we get there, by fixing the ACA, or repealing and replacing it with something better, we need to be sure that we keep these things in whatever legislation is used.

So, don't hesitate to contact your lawmakers. There are websites that even make it easy, like DPAC (Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition). Or you can visit usa.gov to find out who your elected officials are and contact them yourself, by phone, email, fax, or set up an appointment to meet with them in person.

This shouldn't be about Democrats or Republicans. This shouldn't be about taking a side, or who you voted for. This is about making sure that everyone has access to affordable healthcare. That isn't partisan. That's just kindness. Diabetes and Celiac don't discriminate. Many other pre-existing conditions don't discriminate. They can affect anyone at anytime. So that means this issue affects us all.