Opinion

Feds Back Away from Health Care State Payments During Bridge Year

obamacare fallout

In a surprise to no one, states are discovering yet another down side to Obamacare. Like many Americans, I have a pre-existing condition. Diagnosed with breast cancer and a stay-at-home mom I held hope that one piece of the Obamacare legislation of offering health care coverage for those with pre-existing conditions would work. But understanding the costs and expenses with treatments also caused me to wonder how states could afford it.

My question has been answered. States have found that those who were uninsured due to pre-existing health diagnoses would require costly medications and care. So much so that many states ended the sign up for this program early. But even with limited patients on their dole states are looking for additional federal funds to cover their expenses.

Unfortunately, the federal government, finding itself a little short on funds, recently sent out a directive that they would cover (as agreed to) up to a certain ceiling and that states would be responsible for the costs beyond that point.

States like Pennsylvania, are finding that they are paying unexpectedly high dollar amounts for these patients. And without the previously promised federal funding are now concerned that they will have to reduce coverage.  According to an article in the TribLive: The root of the problem is that the federal health care law capped spending on the program at $5 billion, and the money is running out because the beneficiaries turned out to be costlier to care for than expected.

State officials say a likely consequence of the money crunch will be a cost shift to people in the program, resulting in sudden increases in premiums and co-payments. Officials are concerned that many will lose or be forced to drop their coverage.

This news comes following a press conference where the president stated the new health care program was going smooth with just a few glitches.

These ‘unexpected’ cost overruns are just beginning. As more parts of Obamacare are implemented the public will discover that there is a cost to all of these free programs.
Read more at TribLive.

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Teresa Wendt

A stay at home mom who runs a household, manages the finances, cares for a young adult autistic son, and cooks from scratch. Traveling from Arizona to Alaska summer of 2013. Visit my blog at https://ramblinroseaz.wordpress.com/ and follow along.

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One Comment

  1. Have you ever wondered why medicine is so expensive in the first place? I realize medical education is expensive (and why is that?). I realize medical research is expensive. I realize medical tools equipment and facilities are expensive. But what about lawyers? Are they expensive? Are Pharmaceuticals expensive? Are Medical Lobbyists expensive? Are insurance companies expensive?

    Yes! Yes, we all realize it is expense. And we just accept that!

    But is all of that really as expensive as we just accept it all to be?

    Have you ever thought about how it uses to be? You got sick, the doctor came to your house and you paid him with a few chickens! How did it come from that to THIS?! Is not this the true miracle of medicine – that you can become filthy rich upon the suffering of others; it isn’t like being sick is an option! Oh sure there is optional behavior that makes us sick, but really? “You” deserve all that money in order to make me better or “save” my life? Maybe you do…

    I know I deserve a lot more money for what I do. But it just doesn’t happen – I got no lobbyists in DC!

    Seems to me that a better use of our tax dollars by the Fed. Gov. is to stop trying to perpetuate the retailed end of medicine and work on the manufacturing and wholesale end in the form of subsidies, help, and yes, a bit of house cleaning. I know this is encroaching on the corporate world and all their rich buddies but gov. ain’t about the corporate and rich buddies. We pay too much for medicine either thru insurance or medicaid or what ever!

    I don’t have the answers and I don’t know how it all works but my simple pea brain tells me when your product costs so much the public cannot pay for it without some kind of assistance then that ain’t capitalism – that is extortion!!

    We are at the WRONG END of the PROBLEM! (Too many people, who have no grounds to do so, are getting rich at our suffering!)

    Derrell

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