Health Reform Victories

All along, I have based my opinion of health reform on what it means for you, the people who ask me for help. This week, in commemoration of the first anniversary of health reform, I will tell some of the stories of people we've been able to help due to health reform. Here's the first installment (using pseudonyms, of course):

Clark is a 43 year old man with Crohn’s disease. He doesn’t earn much money due to his illness. His disease has been in remission for awhile, and he’s gotten medication through a pharmaceutical company patient assistance program, so he has managed without insurance for quite some time

However, Clark’s Crohn’s disease began to flare. He saw a doctor who wanted to perform a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy. These procedures would cost about $5000.

Clark lives in Mississippi; there is no individual insurance for people with pre-existing conditions in that State. Clark was stymied.

We got a call from Clark’s mother, who was trying to help her son get the care he needed. We researched Clark’s options and found the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan. Mississippi doesn’t run its own plan; the federal government does instead. That was good news for Clark because the monthly premiums are so low under the federal plan.

The Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan was an affordable option for Clark. He got his insurance, and was able to have his tests performed. Without the Affordable Care Act, Clark would have had nowhere to turn.

Jennifer