Does it really have to come down to this? The U.S. House voted this morning to keep the government running with another short-term budget solution. The trade-off? Defunding Obamacare. While this bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, the fact that it did pass the House is noteworthy.
I get it-- Congress wants to keep the government running, because the consequences of a shutdown are pretty big. And by doing what they just did, they can kill 2 birds with 1 stone! The Republican Party has been anti-Obamacare from the get-go, and even after it was initially passed, the Supreme Court upheld it, and the President re-elected, they just cannot get over the fact that it is here to stay.
I understand that Obamacare is not the best solution to the issues that have come up in the health care industry, but at least it is something! I, for one, am extremely thankful that it passed. I haven't admitted this to many people, but I feel like this is as good a time as any, so here goes:
In 2008, at the age of 20, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, a chronic illness that seriously affects the intestinal tract, especially the part where the small intestine connects to the large intestine. I had been having severe stomach pains for quite some time, and finally went to see a doctor about it. After several [uncomfortable, panic-inducing] tests and 3 doctors, my diagnosis was official.
As a 20-year-old college student who was about to study abroad for 3 months, it was kind of scary, but it was nice to know that I was covered under my parents' insurance, and that my medication was affordable with that insurance. Fun fact about medication for Crohn's disease: almost every single medication prescribed for treatment is extremely expensive without insurance (try $1000 for a 3 month supply)!
Fast-forward 3 years to March 2011. I was about to turn 23, which, without the recently passed Affordable Care Act, would mean that I would be kicked off my parents' insurance come March 20. I was employed by a non-profit organization which, at the time, was not required to provide health insurance for employees. Besides, I was more of a paid intern than a full-time staff member. I started feeling extremely ill on March 11th and checked myself into the hospital (through the emergency room). I spent 5 days in the hospital on lots of antibiotics and pain medication to combat a bad flare-up of my Crohn's disease. When I was released on March 16th, I had to follow up with my regular doctors in 1-2 weeks, which would have taken me past my 23rd birthday (again, without Obamacare, I would have been S.O.L.)
Let's fast-forward one more time to 2 years later, to February 2013. I was about to turn 25. I was in the midst of finishing up my second-to-last quarter of my Master's degree, and had several ups-and-downs in my health over the past year or so. My doctor started me on a newer medication, Humira, and injection clinically proven to help calm the symptoms of Crohn's disease (and several other diseases as well). Once again, Humira without health insurance is extremely expensive (try $13,000-$14,000 per year for someone with no health insurance coverage). It is a specialty medication, which comes in an overnight shipment from a specialty pharmacy. However, my disease was much too severe for the Humira to really take effect . . .
It was February 22nd, and I had just gotten off a shift at the pool where I was working part-time while attending grad school. I started having severe stomach pain, worse that I had ever felt! I figured I just had a really nasty case of the stomach flu. I waited for 2 days until the evening of the 24th, when I just wasn't getting better. So my fiance drove me to the emergency room, and basically carried me in, since I was in so much pain. They took me right back, for fear that I had appendicitis (HA!). I ended up having to have emergency surgery the next day to remove 23 centimeters of my small intestine, which had swollen to 4-6 times its normal size due to the Crohn's disease.
Once again, I was extremely lucky to still be on my parents' insurance! I did have the option of being covered by UCSD's Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP); however, coverage was better under my parents' insurance.
Now we fast-forward to the present. It is September 2013. The U.S. House of Representatives just had a vote to fund the government for another short period of time (yay, I suppose), but in exchange, have also voted to defund Obamacare. Clearly none of those who voted YES for the bill (230 representatives, to be exact) have experienced issues similar to those that I have faced. Clearly none of them has been sick a day in their lives, or have been without insurance, even for a short period of time.
As my 26th birthday quickly approaches, I am starting to get worried. As of tomorrow, I will be unemployed, and in 6 months from today, I will no longer be eligible to be on my parents' insurance. Add that to my worries. The job market is not really any better today with my Master's degree than it was 3 years ago when I graduated with my Bachelor's degree. Additionally, if I have to purchase my own health insurance in the future, for whatever reason, I have a pretty serious pre-existing condition (fun side note: not only do I have Crohn's disease, but I also have asthma, and several smaller "pre-existing conditions" which are essentially side-effects of the Crohn's). Without Obamacare as law, I could be denied health insurance, meaning that $112,000 hospital bill from February, which was mostly covered by my insurance, would fall to me to pay . . . with my lack of money . . . due to my unemployment . . . because of the not-so-great economy.
I guess what I am saying is: I appreciate Obamacare. Yes, it is not perfect. But at least it is something. I already have piles of student loan debt, I don't need hospital bills piling up too. So please, Mr. Speaker and all you representatives in the House, please be reasonable. The government needs funding-- shutdowns cost more than nothing, and Obamacare isn't really killing anyone.
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