april of lookout mountain, TN
april of lookout mountain, TN writes:
I am a 63 year old retired nurse. I retired to Lookout Mountain, TN, after 32 years in Alaska. In the past, I was a nurse volunteer for the Southeast Tennessee Red Cross working in local disaster response, with veterans, and service to the armed forces. After the July16, 2015 shootings, I volunteered at the military funerals for two of the fallen.
As a woman, the ACA ensured that I would not be charged a higher premium than male insured, and contraception would be covered with no co-pay. I am gravely concerned that those protections will be lost, especially for women of child-bearing age.
As a cancer survivor, I am very concerned about the lifetime cap, which was part of the ACA. My policy, held since 1978, has a cumulative cap of $2million. A stem cell ($280,000) or kidney transplant (over $100,000, plus $17,000/year for anti-rejection drugs), could cause me to lose my insurance.
My values of equality and service to others drive me to advocate for affordable universal health care. This is an essential, quality of life issue. 50% of Medicare’s payout is for patients in their last six months of life. Some people only receive insurance after they turn 65 years of age, which is too late to provide routine and preventive care. Folks with diabetes can be treated very inexpensively with insulin and patient education. Untreated, they develop a multitude of conditions: renal failure, congestive heart failure, and amputations due to decreased circulation, all very costly, and life threatening.
I am aghast at how irresponsible our Congress has acted by repealing the ACA with no plan in place. this is like flying a plane without first refueling.
What would help is to ACT in a thoughtful, bipartisan manner to retain those portions of the ACA that are beneficial: the elimination of the pre-existing conditions clause, the lifetime cap, and equal premiums for men and women.
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