Historic Health Care Reform?

Now that the new health care bill has passed, I can't help but wonder what the future holds for us. Does the new bill really offer reform? Will our lives be any different? Will we personally see any changes?

When Jack was diagnosed with diabetes, Gregg was on the verge of making a major career change.  After working for many years as a captive agent for a large insurance company, he was ready to go out on his own and open an independent agency along with a few partners.

From a career standpoint, this move was the best thing he could have ever done. From a health insurance standpoint, it was the worst, because with Jack's diagnosis came two of the most hated words in America: pre-existing condition.

Back when he was a captive agent, Gregg was able to secure excellent, affordable health insurance for our family under the company's group plan. After he left the company, we continued our coverage under COBRA.

Knowing that COBRA would run out in 18 months and paying what then seemed like an exorbitant rate, we began searching for new health insurance immediately after opening the doors to the new agency. (Because the agency was a small business in its infancy, each of the partners insured his family with his own individual policy.)

One of Gregg's partners specializes in health insurance. One would think that with a partner like that, we'd be able to find decent coverage at a decent price. Not so! Not with a child with type 1 diabetes, any way! That blasted pre-existing condition!

We applied for coverage at every single health insurance company licensed to conduct business in our state. And every single company denied us coverage, because of Jack's diabetes. Some companies offered us a  guaranteed-issue policy at a premium increased by roughly 300%. With a fledgling business, however, we could not afford 300%, nor could we afford to not have insurance.

We finally stumbled upon an association for small business owners that offered a lousy group plan with no medical underwriting and rates a little bit less expensive. With no medical underwriting, we were in like Flynn. This plan was the answer to our prayers. It was a high-deductible plan designed to cover catastrophic illnesses. It wasn't exactly what we'd hoped to find, but it was better than nothing and better than a guaranteed-issue policy.

We still have this plan today. We pay an outrageously expensive monthly premium that forces us to pinch pennies and forgo even life's little luxuries. On top of that, we have a $5,000 deductible. That means we pay for all medical expenses, including doctors' visits, hospitalizations, medications, diabetes supplies, diagnostic tests and lab fees, at 100% out of pocket until we hit $5,000. After that, we still have an 80/20 split.

This past year, our premium increased by a whopping 35%. It's expected to increase again next year.

We'll keep paying those rates, because really, that's our only option...unless this new health care bill changes things and gives us a better alternative.

I don't know the details of the bill yet, but I'm hoping and praying it helps families like ours, families that work hard yet struggle financially, families that have a member with a chronic health condition, families that fall into the middle class, families that aren't wealthy enough to have no worries, and families that aren't poor enough to get assistance.

Health care reform for our family is neither a Democrat issue nor a Republican issue. To us, it's just an issue...a major issue that needs to be solved.