One of the claims by President Obama was that the Affordable Care Act would help those with pre-existing conditions and the disabled. One Florida resident is finding this claim is more sales pitch than fact.
According to Nancy Carabine, Obamacare is the cause of more – not less – cost for she and her husband. “I just got my new premium notice. My insurance went up $200 over last year. In years past, a $200 increase was for me and my husband, but since he’s gone on Medicare, this increase is just for me.”
When she talked to a Humana representative about the increase, she was told Obamacare was the primary reason because costs were going up for the insurance company. Unfortunately, she has few options, as she has been turned down by Medicaid for assistance – Nancy is 55, disabled, cannot walk, and hasn’t worked in three years – and Social Security Disability Fund regulations won’t allow her to receive benefits.
Kate Andrews of Townhall.com reports Nancy and her husband are not alone in their situation – many disabled Americans are facing similar difficulties, as are their families:
Frank K. is a father of two; one of his children lives with Autism. Frank, like many parents whose children have Autism, relied on non-taxed Flex Spending Accounts to pay for the medical of his child. Until 2010, families could put as much money as their employer would allow into their FSA’s to pay for their families medical expenses.
Many parents with disabled children use these accounts to pay for otherwise unaffordable schooling and therapy for their children. However, a new provision of Obamacare has capped all FSA’s $2,500, in efforts to make up to $13 billion more taxable.
Andrews also shared a situation faced by a Catholic, stay-at-home mother with two disabled children:
Between 2005 and 2010, our deductible increased $50. Since the passage of Obamacare, it has increased $1,200.
In 2009 and 2010, our premiums stayed the same. Since the passage of Obamacare, our premiums have increased $1,528/yr.
Our out of pocket maximum increased a total of $500 between 2005-2010. Since Obamacare passed, our out of pocket maximum has increased $3,000.
A medication protecting my son’s kidneys from damage had a co-pay of $131 from 2005-2010. Since Obamacare passed, that co-pay skyrocketed to $532.
In 2005-2010, we paid 4-5K per year in prescription co-pays. Now, in 2013, we are on target to pay $10,000 in prescription co-pays for the same medications. As of August 12, 2013, we have already paid $5,775.42 for prescriptions this year.
Carabine says her situation was supposed to be remedied by Obamacare – she has a pre-existing condition – but she is concerned that while she “can’t be turned down, I may pay through the nose.”
Higher costs for the same care; just one of the many difficulties faced by the disabled under Obamacare.
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