Obamacare / Affordable Care Act

Hi

I am in NY and I would not be getting any teatment if it were not for the Affordable Care Act.

Last summer, My employer bumped me from insurance because you had to work 6 days to be considered full time. Thats about 60 hours. I was very fatigued at the time and could only work 5 days.

Anyway, when I got injured at work, and the radiologist found metastisis in my bones, I was able to get great insurance right away and everything has been covered and I am very grateful for it.

Without that new law, I would have been denied coverage due to pre existing condition. I was literally one of the first beneficiaries of the law.

Shane

Hi

I am in NY and I would not be getting any teatment if it were not for the Affordable Care Act.

Last summer, My employer bumped me from insurance because you had to work 6 days to be considered full time. Thats about 60 hours. I was very fatigued at the time and could only work 5 days.

Anyway, when I got injured at work, and the radiologist found metastisis in my bones, I was able to get great insurance right away and everything has been covered and I am very grateful for it.

Without that new law, I would have been denied coverage due to pre existing condition. I was literally one of the first beneficiaries of the law.

Shane

Hi

I am in NY and I would not be getting any teatment if it were not for the Affordable Care Act.

Last summer, My employer bumped me from insurance because you had to work 6 days to be considered full time. Thats about 60 hours. I was very fatigued at the time and could only work 5 days.

Anyway, when I got injured at work, and the radiologist found metastisis in my bones, I was able to get great insurance right away and everything has been covered and I am very grateful for it.

Without that new law, I would have been denied coverage due to pre existing condition. I was literally one of the first beneficiaries of the law.

Shane

The Affordable Care Act allows all of us with melanoma, or any other disease process, to purchase insurance or change insurance plans; something we could not do before due to our "pre-existing condition".  Plans offered range from Aetna to Blue Cross to Humana, etc. Some geographical areas offer limited choices due to the power of the insurance companies…something the ACA didn't go far enough to bring under control in my opinion. Additionally, the ACA act makes it illegal for ANY insurance company to refuse to cover the costs of participation in a clinical trial. A very important requirement for many on this forum. My husband had to wait to retire in order to keep me on his insurance, until the Act went into effect, due to my "pre-existing".  Despite having the money and working on my own, my diagnosis as a Stage IV melanoma patient prevented me from PURCHASING my own insurance. Since it has been enacted, I have been able to purchase a Blue Cross plan for myself and my children in TN, that was cheaper than the BCBS plan my husband was paying for, and it has continued to cover their needs and the fees related to my Nivo trial at Moffitt in Tampa.  Additionally, if you qualify, you can get assistance in paying for your plan thanks to Obama Care! Mine is not a political statement either! I provide medical care for children..living on both sides of this debate as it were…and see this as the best thing that has happened for all patients in a long time.  That being said…I hate insurance companies…equally and with a passion! Wishing you my best. Celeste

The Affordable Care Act allows all of us with melanoma, or any other disease process, to purchase insurance or change insurance plans; something we could not do before due to our "pre-existing condition".  Plans offered range from Aetna to Blue Cross to Humana, etc. Some geographical areas offer limited choices due to the power of the insurance companies…something the ACA didn't go far enough to bring under control in my opinion. Additionally, the ACA act makes it illegal for ANY insurance company to refuse to cover the costs of participation in a clinical trial. A very important requirement for many on this forum. My husband had to wait to retire in order to keep me on his insurance, until the Act went into effect, due to my "pre-existing".  Despite having the money and working on my own, my diagnosis as a Stage IV melanoma patient prevented me from PURCHASING my own insurance. Since it has been enacted, I have been able to purchase a Blue Cross plan for myself and my children in TN, that was cheaper than the BCBS plan my husband was paying for, and it has continued to cover their needs and the fees related to my Nivo trial at Moffitt in Tampa.  Additionally, if you qualify, you can get assistance in paying for your plan thanks to Obama Care! Mine is not a political statement either! I provide medical care for children..living on both sides of this debate as it were…and see this as the best thing that has happened for all patients in a long time.  That being said…I hate insurance companies…equally and with a passion! Wishing you my best. Celeste

The Affordable Care Act allows all of us with melanoma, or any other disease process, to purchase insurance or change insurance plans; something we could not do before due to our "pre-existing condition".  Plans offered range from Aetna to Blue Cross to Humana, etc. Some geographical areas offer limited choices due to the power of the insurance companies…something the ACA didn't go far enough to bring under control in my opinion. Additionally, the ACA act makes it illegal for ANY insurance company to refuse to cover the costs of participation in a clinical trial. A very important requirement for many on this forum. My husband had to wait to retire in order to keep me on his insurance, until the Act went into effect, due to my "pre-existing".  Despite having the money and working on my own, my diagnosis as a Stage IV melanoma patient prevented me from PURCHASING my own insurance. Since it has been enacted, I have been able to purchase a Blue Cross plan for myself and my children in TN, that was cheaper than the BCBS plan my husband was paying for, and it has continued to cover their needs and the fees related to my Nivo trial at Moffitt in Tampa.  Additionally, if you qualify, you can get assistance in paying for your plan thanks to Obama Care! Mine is not a political statement either! I provide medical care for children..living on both sides of this debate as it were…and see this as the best thing that has happened for all patients in a long time.  That being said…I hate insurance companies…equally and with a passion! Wishing you my best. Celeste

There are a lot of good things about the law, but the implementation is still VERY variable by state with a lot of  states refusing to embrace it, leaving its citizens with fewer and often less attractive options. The inequity is very unfortunate, but is the reality. Many of them even refused the medicaid expansion on the grounds of budgetary concerns even thought the federal gvt was covering the cost of the expansion, not the state. In states where the expansion was accepted and enacted and where the states set up their own insurance exchanges the law is working very well and helping a lot of people. in states that refused the expansion and did not set up their own exchanges the law is far more restrictive and many people are still struggling. Do you have a local or regional "navigator" who can help you with the law and what's available to you? Or a local or regional cancer resource center with people who may be able to help? I feel quite lucky that the town I live in has a volunteer cancer resource center that is excellent- they have helped me with insurance issues, finding ways to reduce travel costs (via state, local, and federal programs or funds), and more recently helping to coordinate free flights through programs like Corporate Angels, etc as I have to travel out of state every 3 weeks for treatment. They have so much more information than I ever would have been able to find on my own. Even if all you need is better/more information, it's worth looking into- there's nothing wrong with accepting a little help now and then when you need it. 

There are a lot of good things about the law, but the implementation is still VERY variable by state with a lot of  states refusing to embrace it, leaving its citizens with fewer and often less attractive options. The inequity is very unfortunate, but is the reality. Many of them even refused the medicaid expansion on the grounds of budgetary concerns even thought the federal gvt was covering the cost of the expansion, not the state. In states where the expansion was accepted and enacted and where the states set up their own insurance exchanges the law is working very well and helping a lot of people. in states that refused the expansion and did not set up their own exchanges the law is far more restrictive and many people are still struggling. Do you have a local or regional "navigator" who can help you with the law and what's available to you? Or a local or regional cancer resource center with people who may be able to help? I feel quite lucky that the town I live in has a volunteer cancer resource center that is excellent- they have helped me with insurance issues, finding ways to reduce travel costs (via state, local, and federal programs or funds), and more recently helping to coordinate free flights through programs like Corporate Angels, etc as I have to travel out of state every 3 weeks for treatment. They have so much more information than I ever would have been able to find on my own. Even if all you need is better/more information, it's worth looking into- there's nothing wrong with accepting a little help now and then when you need it. 

There are a lot of good things about the law, but the implementation is still VERY variable by state with a lot of  states refusing to embrace it, leaving its citizens with fewer and often less attractive options. The inequity is very unfortunate, but is the reality. Many of them even refused the medicaid expansion on the grounds of budgetary concerns even thought the federal gvt was covering the cost of the expansion, not the state. In states where the expansion was accepted and enacted and where the states set up their own insurance exchanges the law is working very well and helping a lot of people. in states that refused the expansion and did not set up their own exchanges the law is far more restrictive and many people are still struggling. Do you have a local or regional "navigator" who can help you with the law and what's available to you? Or a local or regional cancer resource center with people who may be able to help? I feel quite lucky that the town I live in has a volunteer cancer resource center that is excellent- they have helped me with insurance issues, finding ways to reduce travel costs (via state, local, and federal programs or funds), and more recently helping to coordinate free flights through programs like Corporate Angels, etc as I have to travel out of state every 3 weeks for treatment. They have so much more information than I ever would have been able to find on my own. Even if all you need is better/more information, it's worth looking into- there's nothing wrong with accepting a little help now and then when you need it.