July 10, 2017

Trumpcare is Even Worse for America Than You Think

https://thedailybanter.com/2017/07/trumpcare-is-even-worse-for-america-than-you-think/
"Remember, before the ACA, insurance companies could jack your premiums through the roof if you got sick or they could kick you off of your policy. Got breast cancer? No more coverage for you. It was cruel and immoral but 100% legal. Insurance companies also set yearly and lifetime caps on coverage. Did you get HIV through a blood transfusion? Wow, that's rough. Fortunately, there are drugs that can keep it from turning into AIDS indefinitely. Unfortunately, they're very expensive and you reached your lifetime cap after 6 months. Better luck next time. Then there were pre-existing conditions, children being thrown off their parents' policy at age 18, policies that didn't actually cover anything beyond a summer cold, etc. etc. Racking up enormous medical debt was extremely easy and the United States is the only country in the world where this is a routine problem. But this is the system Republicans would like very much to return to. Trump and the GOP say they want to maintain coverage for pre-existing conditions and no yearly of lifetime caps but the system they're trying to create will bankrupt insurance companies unless they can throw people off of their coverage or raise their premiums so high they can't pay them. We can't even hold it against them because they won't have any choice but to reduce the number of people they cover. This, by the way, is the lie behind the Republican catchphrase "guaranteeing access to healthcare." Sure, you have access to healthcare, you just won't be able to pay for it. It's like saying you have access to food but it's up on a ledge 20 feet off the ground. And I just took your ladder away and gave it to the guy over there who already has 100 ladders."