Health Reform: A Day of Reckoning Arrives

Posted on | September 23, 2010 | Comments Off on Health Reform: A Day of Reckoning Arrives

Mike Magee

Six months ago today, the Patient Protection and Affordability of Care Act was signed into law. (1) And for many, today is “the day of reckoning”. That’s because many of the most critical consumer benefits of this transformational health bill take effect today. Yet many remain confused about what health reform is and whether it is worthy of their support.

So let’s lift up the veil here. The starting point? In 2009 there was a 10% bump in the uninsured. 50.7 million Americans lacked health insurance. (2) Clearly, that’s not a good thing most would agree because, one way or another, we all end up paying for our citizens when they get sick. The reasons so many are uninsured ties back to historic access and design issues of our health insurance, the majority of which was linked to employment. If you were poor or unemployed, you were generally out of luck. Also if you had a history of chronic disease, were born with a disability, or had a history of utilization of health care services, many insurers used a variety of techniques to keep you off their roles. Finally, even if you were insured, you were often exposed to a series of delays and denials that made it difficult to get the money you deserved for coverage. (3)So the bill took aim at these real life problems and enacted remedies.

Let’s have a quick look at 10 basic facts that define where we are today: (CONTINUE….)