Fox News interviewed the mother of a family of five who lost their insurance. They now face “uncertainty” thanks to endless glitches on the Obamacare website. For years they elected to carry a high deductible, low cost insurance plan i.e. the type we encourage our patients to buy. According to Obama they’ve been “underinsured” though.
Their philosophy on healthcare mirrors our outlook. They’ve been paying for minor issues out of pocket for years and putting aside the the money they save on their deductible. They didn’t mention direct care, but this family would benefit greatly from an Atlas MD-style of medicine. All seven members could see Drs. Josh, Doug or Michael ANYTIME for $150/mo. Colds, flus, sprains and more could all be treated in-house, at rates much lower than average clinic costs, saving them countless dollars over the course of a year.
This new layer of ACA red tape seems problematic. Really, should the government have the right to determine HOW MUCH insurance people need? We’re not opposed to them prosecuting companies practicing unethical business; there are insurance plans on the market that willfully misrepresent their offering (Forbes wrote about these junk plans here). However, this family in question was TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES WITH THEIR OWN MONEY. The fact our administration is willing to actually throw them under the bus in order to help those in need disappoints us. And unless the ACA starts actually helping people get healthcare this sentiment seems likely to spread.