Since the Obama administration has decided to not enforce some of the smog regulations which will in all likelihood contribute to higher mortality rates in the future, I was thinking that they might consider showing some goodwill to humanity by removing another regulation that will undoubtedly save lives, both short and long term.
I speak of the insanely inhumane and cruel requirement in the ACA that requires people to go without insurance for 6 months before they can qualify for the so-called high risk pools.
My understanding is that this requirement was put in initially (despite its inherent stupidity and immorality) because some legislators feared a giant flood of applicants to the pools which were very poorly funded from the get-go. That actually has not occurred for a very obvious reason:
The high risk pools are plain unaffordable to many. Gee, people with illnesses and chronic conditions so severe that they get rejected for insurance, might have an issue paying for expensive coverage, who could have even predicted that?
Now, this problem has been partially addressed in some places and costs have been lowered in the states where the high risk pool is administered by the Feds. So that's one good thing. Sorry, you guys in the other states. Our new healthcare reform retains the crazy quilt model of variation in prices, coverage, and quality due to state specific coverage. Thus it will be with the exchanges.
But this six month without coverage stipulation remains in place as a monument as I stated earlier to stupidity and cruelty.
It is stupid because forcing people to go without coverage and most likely, treatment, will cause the untreated conditions to advance, grow larger and cost more to treat when they finally are - a classic case of penny wise, pound foolish.
It is cruel, because what kind of a country would tell someone that they have to withstand a gauntlet of medical inattention which, if they survive, qualifies them for coverage. Hey! You're still here! Your prize is that NOW we'll cover you. Good job surviving!
So, President Obama, how about it? Lift this abhorrant requirement for sick people to "go naked" before they qualify for the high risk coverage.
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(Note: I have to go out this morning and contribute to the economy so I will be unable to respond to any comments for awhile. It would be great to come back and find out that I have it all wrong and this requirement is already no longer in existence - I never mind being wrong in cases like that.)