Columbus Freepress - November 7th 2013 Nov 7 2013 | Page 6

Obamacare:

Godsend or the law from hell?

By Kurt Bateman
Progressive Democrats of America

to the federal exchange
and all its complexity
bamacare (The Patient Protection and “glitches.” I’m not a
lawyer but to my mind this
and Affordable Care Act) PPACA
is malfeasance at the very
has been alternately called both
least and certainly doesn’t
things. In the hyper-ideological
represent the best interests
world our political system labors
under these days, the reality is that of the citizens of Ohio.
For individual Ohioans
the PPACA is both to different
the challenge will be to
constituencies.
maximize the benefit
Here in Ohio and in the other
this law holds for their
states whose political power
structure maintained the vociferous individual financial situation.
Frankly the individual penalty for
and unanimous opposition to the
non-compliance is nothing more
law, PPACA is looking less like
than a nuisance. For business nona godsend and more like a Rube
compliance might hold a $2000
Goldberg contraption that won’t
dollar penalty for non-compliance,
provide the solution to the health
however, the cost for purchasing
care access crisis.
insurance might approach four
In states who have, on the
times that figure. Additionally,
other hand, dealt with reality and
for the working poor, Medicaid
implemented the law to the best
expansion in Ohio will truly
of their abilities; i.e. set up state
exchanges, expanded Medicaid etc, be a godsend, if it survives the
inevitable legal challenges.
tens of thousands of their citizens
The difficulty for most Ohioans
are benefiting from gained access to
insurance if not financial protection in the middle, who currently
purchase health insurance on the
from medically precipitated
financial crisis. It is important here individual market, is the mind
to remember that in the seven years boggling complexity. In states like
Ohio, the number of plans that
since Massachusetts implemented
people will need to consider might
the state model for the PPACA,
conceivably approach 100 given all
the rate of medically precipitated
bankruptcy has seen no statistically the iterations of out of pocket costs,
deductibles and coverage levels.
significant decline!
The question I guess you need
In Ohio, any participation
to answer is this; Am I and my
in the federal law was a dead
loved ones Bronze, Silver, Gold or
issue until the medical provider
Platinum human beings? Or which
establishment (Ohio Hospital
one can we afford to be?
Association) weighed in to
Therein lies the main problem.
support the Medicaid expansion.
Furthermore, for all the ideological The PPACA continues to rely on
profit-first insurance companies
blather by “conservatives” about
whose stock holders on Wall Street
local control, the majority party
demand maximized return on
in state government dug in their
capital. That capital is comprised
heels and refused to manage the
of the insurance premium dollars
administration of the law and
6 consequently Ohioans are subject
paid to them minus the actual cost

“NOW MORE THAN EVER”

O

of care for the population they
serve. Meanwhile, the hospital
corporations are consolidating to
build power against any reduction
of their “piece of the pie.” Left out
of this equation with no position at

the table are patients.
As citizens we must demand
universal access to a single
standard of quality care (not
insurance) for all without regard to
financial status.

ShAre the Gift of life.
Today more than 100 million people in the U.S. have signed up to share life
by registering as organ, eye, and tissue donors. Do the righ