Open Enrollment

It’s open enrollment time! This is the time of year when individuals buy, renew, or change their health insurance. If you don’t have insurance through your employer, Medicare or Medicaid, you can purchase health insurance from the Marketplace.

The federal government enacted the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also called Obama care, to increase access to insurance for all Americans. Individuals, families, and small businesses can purchase insurance through the Marketplace at a reduced cost and with protection for those with pre-existing conditions. Prior to the ACA, more than forty million Americans did not have health insurance. Without health insurance, people forego needed care which may lead to disability, early death, and high medical debt. These negative consequences effect the individual patient and their family for many years.

For the first time, I am shopping on the Marketplace for health insurance. I’m sorry to say that the experience has left me disheartened. The process primarily focuses on the premium (monthly payment) which gives you the impression that being able to afford the premium is an all-access ticket to healthcare. It’s the same as determining the affordability of a car solely based on the monthly car note. Although the government does make the premium more affordable through subsidies for lower income persons, they do not help with the deductible and copays. Deductibles can be as high as $10,000.00 a year. And copays often start at $40 for each visit to a health care professional.

The Marketplace does expand access to health insurance, but it does not provide equitable access to health care. It is a band aid on a large gaping wound that will only get bigger if we do not take action.