We are told our pre-existing conditions will be covered under the Trump Care Senate bill without limits or caps. Just like under the ACA/Obama Care.
Sounds good. Until we look at the fine print. States will be allowed to seek a waiver from coverage of various parts of the Essential Health Benefits currently required under the ACA/Obama Care. Given that Iowa has terrible budget problems, why wouldn’t Iowa seek waivers of EHB’s?
Some of the benefits no longer covered may be mental health care and substance abuse care or cancer or heart disease. All of the drugs necessary to treat these conditions may not be covered either. Imagine the surprise that a pre-existing condition is covered but the expensive drugs needed are not. These “skinny plans” result from companies being able to pick and chose the coverage they offer.
Then the next problem kicks in: the Cap or limit on annual out of pocket expenses and on lifetime coverage. The Brookings Institute found that states exercising the waiver of EHB’s could lead to insurance companies and employers reinstating these caps on coverage — taking us back to life before the ACA/Obama Care. Healthy young people will be less likely to sign up for cancer coverage, preferring to stay on the “skinny “ bare bones plans. But other folks needing coverage for cancer, heart disease or diabetes will be facing much steeper costs for coverage, along with heart breaking caps on this coverage.
Why in the world do we as a society want to go back to this kind of “non-health care?” We were sold on the idea of repeal/replace ACA to reduce premiums. That clearly is not going to happen under the Trump Care Senate Bill. In fact, the CBO report is for rising premiums for several years. This will result in an “age tax.” The projection is up to five times the current premium. There will also be many more bankruptcies. This bill simply busts people.
The current bill’s purpose is openly to provide big tax breaks to the wealthy. Remember that Rose Garden celebration over the House version of this bill? Lots of talk about all the different tax breaks the wealthy would be getting, some even retroactive. But that will not help us, the average American. We need real affordable health care, for all of us.
Beverly Clark
Baxter