The New York Times today dedicated one outstanding page of work on A16 to how the health care reform law is actually meaningfully helping people. Led with an overview article entitled, "For Many Families, Health Care Relief Begins Today," the Times then follows it up with three moving profiles of real families and how the changes in the law that go into effect today will change their lives forever for the better.
The intro article best sums up the facts around both this bill and its debate by saying:
Sometimes lost in the partisan clamor about the new health care law is the profound relief it is expected to bring to hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been stricken first by disease and then by a Darwinian insurance system.
Indeed, it's a helpful reminder to many on this site and on the "exhausted" left that, for all the flaws in policy and execution this administration and Congress have made, there have also been deeply, profound and permanent changes for the better that will help thousands if not millions of people in ways that transcend mid-term elections or news cycles.
The first profile is of the Thompson family in Overland Park, Kansas. Their adopted child was born with spina bifada and another child has attention deficit disorder. As a result, they've not been able to find health coverage for either of their children because of their pre-existing conditions.
Until today.
"It really is a pinch-me moment," said Mrs. Thompson, who is 50. "Could it possibly be, after all these years of fighting and jumping through hoops and trying to find the right place to help us out, that she could just be put on our policy with her sister and not be discriminated against any more?"
The article continues to point out the problems that still remain - including the question of affordability because other provisions of the law haven't kicked-in yet. But this is unquestionably a step in the right direction for the Thompson family.
As it is for Lacey McLear of Richmond, VA, a 24-year-old who aged out of her parents' health care and discovered a knee problem that will require major surgery three days before leaving her parents' health plan.
Now, however, she can return to getting coverage until age of 26 thanks to the new law. As her parents say:
"Now Lacey can focus on finding a job without having that albatross around her neck," her mother said. "And for us as parents to not have to worry, it’s really a big deal."
Finally there is the aptly-named Strong family of Santa Barbara, CA and the heart-wrenching story of their daughter who was born with a serious spinal degenerative condition that will likely kill her. But she's already beat many odds to live until age 3 - at the same time moving rapidly towards her lifetime cap on benefits. The Strongs feared that their daughter would not receive quality care because of this cap.
Not anymore. Thanks to the new health law, lifetime caps are now prohibited.
For the Strongs, it means freedom from worry. "We know now that Gwendolyn will always have the quality of care that we promised her," said Mr. Strong, the chief financial officer of an Internet venture company.
None of these stories invalidates the numerous flaws in the bill and the many unintended consequences that will need to be fixed. But all of these stories must be considered to prevent any discussion of the health care bill from descending into the myopia of process and policy.
Many real lives will be meaningfully-improved by this bill. And while I never had any doubt about it in my mind, reading these profiles only re-doubled my desire to vote for Democrats in the fall and help them win.