Health Insurance Update: The Affordable Healthcare Act is FUBAR

Dear Internet…

I had wanted to update you with a resolution to our health insurance fiasco. With a triumphant and relieved, "It's fixed and here's how!"

Unfortunately, that is the farthest thing from the truth, at the moment.

Our amazing and wonderful pediatrician contacted a friend of hers, Rep. Liz Bobo, who submitted our complaint against United Healthcare to the Maryland Insurance Administration and had it expedited. They have made multiple requests to UHC for records concerning our account and UHC has repeatedly requested extensions. We're not sure where that stands, at the moment, but it is being worked on and there is some evidence that UHC is working to resolve the issue (perhaps in an attempt to cover their asses ahead of being investigated).

In the meantime, we have been searching for another insurance provider. We had applied for a Small Group Plan under my husband's company with a local health cooperative, Evergreen. Unfortunately, it was discovered/decided after the deadline for enrollment (March 31st) that we don't qualify for the Small Group plans under the Affordable Healthcare Act. So, that left us to apply for a Family Plan through the Maryland Health Exchange (which, if you've been living under a rock, hasn't been going so well, folks). Because we were already in the process of enrolling with Evergreen, we were able to enroll after the deadline under a qualifying event. Otherwise, we would be out of luck.

Evergreen's representatives were kind enough to try to help me enroll in the Exchange online but we ran into multiple dead ends as the site kept freezing up, giving us error messages and then wouldn't let us enroll anyone other than my husband.

After trying to navigate this system for over an hour, we decided it was best for me to call the Maryland Health Exchange. I did so and I was told by the automated system that I was the 4th called in the queue and my estimated wait time was 1 minute. …Over an hour later, I finally got to talk to someone.

The demeanor of the person I spoke to could be described as rude, at best. She picked up the phone in full defense mode (which makes sense given the frustration level that most people would be experiencing at this point). She took me through the entire process, again, over the phone.

At the point where I *should* have been able to select a plan, she said, "You are eligible because of your husband's income, but you have not been confirmed. This needs further investigation. Someone from the Affordable Healthcare Act will call you."

WAIT! What? You mean I technically don't have insurance? When will they call me?

"I don't know. It could be a week, it could be a month." She answered.

But, I have a child with a life-threatening condition. She needs medicine and labs and other appointments every month.  What do I do in the meantime if I don't have health insurance?

"I don't know," She answered, "I can put a note in our system to have someone call you."

When will that be?

"I don't know."

So, that is where our family stands. Until our case has been investigated and someone from the Affordable Healthcare Act contacts us, we have no insurance.

We've been attempting to call and resolve this issue and we've been given various information including, "We don't have any record of your enrollment," and "Your coverage cannot be back dated to April 1st," and, "the information we have for your son is incorrect," (it's not).

And we have no choice but to wait. Because of the Affordable Healthcare Act, we have no other options. A combination of deadlines and new healthcare laws and criteria ensures that this is the ONLY option we have.

And, we're not the only ones. A friend's parents were kicked off their health insurance in the last week because they were, "too expensive" and told to enroll in Obamacare. My cousin was also kicked off her insurance due to a preexisting condition and told to enroll in Obamacare (for the record, when you call in they actually refer to it as "Obamacare or the Affordable Healthcare Act") and she is in the same situation we are - waiting for a call and does not have coverage until then.

How is this supposed to help people? Sure, millions of people who didn't have health insurance before now have an opportunity to apply for it. Many of those people don't have life-threatening illnesses or preexisting conditions. For those that do, we're put in a queue and told to wait. In the meantime, we have to pay out of pocket for expensive and life-sustaining procedures. The people that need insurance without lapse, immediately, can't get it. Some of us are actually being kicked off existing plans to wait in this void.

I'm a fairly middle-of-the-road person, politically. You could even say that I have liberal leanings. I'm all for social programs or subsidies and trying to make sure EVERYONE has access to healthcare. But, this is clearly not working. Not everyone is getting the coverage they need, especially those who need it most. 

Currently, y'all, thanks to the Affordable Healthcare Act, we don't have insurance. Kai does not have insurance. How quickly can that be resolved? Will she have it before we need her medicine? Will she have it before we need to get labs? Will she have it if we have to go to the hospital? I don't know. I even have the money in hand to pay the premium as my family doesn't qualify for assistance. The timeline, however, is up to the system.

That's why the Affordable Healthcare Act is FUBAR.