June 20, 2010
Insurance for those with Pre-existing conditions will cover only a fraction of those who need it and it could be costly
Multiple sclerosis patient Marc Fladell and millions like him hope they will benefit when the first major piece of national health reform begins this month.
Fladell, 47, needs lots of treatment in his 18-year battle with multiple sclerosis, but he lost his job and then his extended health insurance ran out two years ago. No insurer will touch him because of his illness, leaving him to pay his own medical bills of $300-plus per month.
The MS lets the Pompano Beach attorney work only part-time, so he often skimps on or skips medical care. He stopped going to the doctor for pain in his limbs or torso; he just ices down and takes the pain. If he gets the flu or other symptoms, he may see a nurse at a drugstore. His costly MS drug comes free from a manufacturer charity program, but when he needs other drugs, he often goes without them.
Now Fladell is warily hopeful because the government on June 23 will start to roll out “high-risk pools” in each state offering guaranteed coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
“I would love to have insurance. I would pay whatever I have to, although I can’t afford too much,” Fladell said. “I didn’t ask for MS. MS chose me. I just want the same ability to get insurance as everyone else has.”
Yet experts say the $5 billion program will cover only a fraction of those who need it, and the coverage will be expensive.
Moreover, if Florida‘s experience is any indicator, the cost could be prohibitive: The state’s experiment with a high-risk pool in 1982 collapsed in less than a decade because of spiraling expenses.
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