Health Care--Alive Again

Let’s break into our discussion of American mythology with a comment on the passage of the Senate’s 2,000 page health care reform bill (which may contain a few myths itself). Pelosi got her five votes (possibly by denying the members any potty breaks).
That she got it at all is the real surprise. Back in December that looked about as likely as snow in July on the capital mall. I would have bet money that it was dead—and I am much too conservative a Hollander to be much of a betting man.
I prognosticated that it was dead. I was so sure. But Obama, Pelosi and the Democrats found as unlikely an ally as Churchill making a pact with the Bolsheviks—the American health insurance companies rode full tilt to the rescue of health care reform.
After spending millions of dollars and spreading amazing amounts of lies, half-truths and obfuscations to sink reform, in the end they pulled a bone headed stunt that brought it back to life. Who passed health care? The insurance companies!
Pelosi and Obama were given a gift that they could not have imagined. The health care industry decided to raise nearly everybody’s rates at the turn of the year. It happened all across America to millions of people—people with health insurance, people who vote.
I can’t speak for all of them—but I can tell you what happened to me. For years retired teachers in Michigan had had Blue Cross/Blue Shield as primary insurance, Medicare as secondary. Part D—pharmaceutical insurance was also covered by the Blues. They covered every drug I’ve ever been prescribed in whatever the form my physician wanted.
It was great insurance, and it wasn’t very expensive. In the fall, I began to read that the Blues were raising their rates. I didn’t think too much about it. On January 2nd, I went to my regular pharmacy to refill some of my normal prescriptions.
Holy Toledo!!! The co-pays had doubled, in some cases tripled. I left them at the counter and went home to make some calls. A couple of drugs were no longer available at any price. Who was this strange new company? (It has taken me weeks and hours to get it all figured out—not just money but time, hours of it!)
It seems that rates had gone so high that the teacher’s union felt the only thing it could do was switch us to another medical plan—Medicare primary; a different, inferior Blues plan secondary. Even though it’s inferior, the new plan still costs more than the old plan did last year.
This also meant I had to go to ALL of my physicians, blood labs, etc. etc. etc. and show them my new cards so they could get my new insurance right and not get rejected when they submitted a claim. I haven’t finished all of that yet.
I opted out of the union’s prescription drug provider and found one myself. The co-pays are less than that other plan but, unlike last year, I cannot get most of my drugs on a three-month, one co-pay basis, The same co-pay three times in a quarter is a significant increase over that co-pay once in a quarter.
All the way around, it costs me more. It costs millions of us more. I’ll lay you odds there are a whole lot of folks out there whose anti-health-care reform bill fervor cooled quite a bit this January. I can just see some of those tea party folks staring with dismay at their new rates and co-pays and suddenly losing steam in their opposition.
The Republicans in the House may call the Senate bill “Armageddon”, but the real Armageddon in health care reform was brought by some mind-bogglingly stupid insurance executives.
I’ll bet when they get alone by themselves even Obama and Pelosi can’t believe just how stupid those people were.
Of course, the additions to the bill still have to go back to the Senate where any Republican can add an amendment. Should Democrats be silly enough to let one pass, the whole business is back up in the air (and back to the House for another long weekend).
Let’s see if the Senate can avoid being as foolish as the health insurance industry. Well finish up War and Myth next time.