All posts tagged: ACA

Canadian Universal Health vs The Great American Gamble

The day my twins were born, my son developed an infection in his leg. It was an excruciating ailment, one that came on without warning and left him unable to walk or even move. It was also a big mystery; doctors weren’t exactly sure what it was, or how to treat it. My husband spent the next eight days shuttling him back and forth to the hospital. While I tended to our newborns at home, they logged hours on the pediatric floor. Each day brought a different round of testing for our young son. His little body was put through it all: x-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs, and bloodwork. That was a draining week for all of us. Most days, we struggled just to keep him comfortable. The hospital had every test result back within 12 hours each day. But waiting isn’t easy – especially for a hormonal mother who can’t stay off Google. I spent sleepless nights worrying about sprains, Lyme disease, even cancer. WebMD became my best friend and worst nightmare. My insane penchant to …

Supreme Court Sides With Affordable Care Act

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Affordable Health Care Act, rejecting a suit that was centered on a phrase referring to “an exchange established by the state”. A vigorous effort was made to argue that the bill’s language meant that tax credits for buying insurance should only be available in states that had decided to operate their own health insurance exchange marketplaces, instead of being administered by the federal government. Had the court ruled in favor of this interpretation, millions of currently insured people would suddenly be unable to maintain their health insurance coverage. In 2014, the ACA expanded Medicaid coverage for anyone under the age of 65, including parents with children over 18 and single adults. For many who had health insurance through the Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) program, they were potentially eligible for Medicaid after their RMA coverage ended. Previously, the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center noted that refugees and their families were among those who would benefit from the program. Examples included access to a simple market to buy insurance …