We've all heard of the fear of obamacare death panels, right? Well, I'm here to tell you they are unnecessary for us older folks. We just won't be able afford "affordable" healthcare any longer.
While on a quilting retreat, one of my closest friends was recently told by her doctor that, because she is 75, Medicare will no longer pay for yearly CT scans to make sure the stent in her aortic aneurism is still functioning without leaks. A couple of nurses in at the retreat told her to go to the ER and tell them she has back pain with no injury and mention the stent. They will HAVE to do the CT scan. She can do it each year as she approaches the anniversary of her surgery. Of course, that will cost Medicare more and, since Medicare has been gutted by obama, she will incur higher out of pocket costs.
My husband and I are both 58 years old. Five years ago, I had extensive surgery to remove several organs including my entire pancreas and 70% of my colon. The cells that produce insulin were extracted and transplanted into my liver. Needless to say, I am on many expensive medications including enzymes and insulin. I am on disability as well as Medicare, paying for Part B ($100/month premiums slated to more than double next year) out of my meager monthly checks. I am also covered by my husband's BC/BS through his employer, the US Postal Service.
We recently discovered that, due to obamacare (the "affordable" care act) our insurance with BC/BS has changed. Along with higher premiums and much higher deductibles, they will only pay 85% of what they think is reasonable medical bills. That is, of course, after office copays. The medical providers are under no obligation to discount/write off parts of their prices. So his recent medical procedures due to gall bladder problems as well as a sleep study for sleep apnea, are costing us thousands of dollars we cannot pay.
In order to pay our medical bills and continue receiving life sustaining medication for me, we have put our home on the market to sell. We do have some equity in it but cannot list with a broker because we would end up having to PAY them to sell our home. With $40K in equity, after closing costs and realtors' fees, we would owe them money. Chances are we will not be able to sell and I will eventually run out of medications (I'm using out of date insulin already). We will not be able to afford his gall bladder surgery or any hospitalizations by me due to frequent obstructions.
It seems obama's message to older and sick folks is, "Just die already!"
Granted, these are just two anecdotal instances, but I'm sure there are more out there and many, many more coming.
Young, healthy people are being forced into obama-approved plans that they don't need that cost more than they can afford. Most young, healthy folks opt for high deductible "catastrophic" plans. They can no longer do that. They must buy government approved plans or pay fines destined to grow higher and higher.
So...to sum up: We who have worked and been responsibly raising our families without the government's help are approaching our "golden" years with a government that just wants us to die. Young folks are being forced into healthcare plans that are far from affordable. Employers are cutting back on hours to avoid having to provide insurance. Many people have to work 2-3 part time jobs to make up for the lack of full time jobs.
But thank God folks got their free obama-phones!
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