Sen. Cortez Masto: Senate Failure to Overturn Junk Insurance Rule A Profound Disservice to Families
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In her speech, Senator
I rise today to share the story of my friend
Jesse and her husband own and operate one of
In 2012, Jesse left her job at a large firm--and the health insurance it provided--to pursue her dream of starting a brewery with her husband, Scott. About a year later, she learned that she was pregnant. During a routine check-up nine weeks before her due date, Jesse's midwife advised her to see an OBGYN. Jesse didn't look or feel sick, so she hesitated, but the mid-wife urged her to go see a specialist anyway.
Midway through her visit, the OBGYN became concerned that Jesse's life was in danger. He diagnosed her with preeclampsia and rushed her to the hospital. Jesse's son was born a few hours later via emergency C-section. The doctors who delivered her baby agreed that, had Jesse waited even 24 hours to see an OBGYN, both she and her son would have died.
In no uncertain terms, Jesse told me that she and her son owe their lives to the Affordable Care Act. Without the affordable coverage purchased on the Silver State Exchange, Jesse would not have been able to see a specialist. And she and her husband certainly would not have been able to afford the
Jesse's son is now a happy, thriving toddler, but he has a medical issue that interferes with his growth. Jesse and her husband Scott fear that
In August, he signed an executive order expanding access to what are called "junk plans," health insurance plans that don't cover essential services like prescription drugs, emergency room visits, and maternity care.
These plans are designed for short-term use only and don't include protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
That means that if you go to sign up for one of these plans, and you are a cancer survivor, or a pregnant woman, or a war veteran, you could be charged a higher rate.
It also means you could be forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket for the care you receive in an emergency.
Junk plans come in all shapes and sizes, but none of them comply with consumer protections established by the Affordable Care Act.
71% did not cover outpatient prescription drugs.
Junk plans appear cheaper than comprehensive health insurance plans--that is, until you read the fine print.
Junk plans have low monthly premiums and astronomical out of pocket costs.
The
ACSCAN also said the Trump administration's rule, "will likely leave older and sicker Americans in the individual insurance marketplace with few, if any, affordable health coverage choices," and that, "patients living with serious conditions will be left paying more for the coverage they need if they can afford coverage at all."
Jesse told me she owes her life to the health insurance she purchased through the ACA.
Where would Jesse and her family be without it?
What if she had not been able to afford a comprehensive plan?
What if she had purchased a junk plan instead?
1.2 million Nevadans live with a pre-existing condition. That's nearly one in two.
That number includes nearly 159,000 children and nearly 270,000 people nearing retirement.
The junk plans rule directly threatens their health care.
Heather Korbulic, Executive Director of the Silver State Health Exchange, summed up the risk that junk plans pose.
She said, "[Junk plans] are designed to basically take your preexisting condition and charge you more or tell you that you can't be on those plans at all."
She continued, "If they find that you've not disclosed a pre-existing medical condition...then you're left high and dry with no insurance."
I don't want to go back to a world where Nevadans with pre-existing conditions can't get the care they need, or where insurance companies aren't required to cover basic services like maternity care.
I was a proud co-sponsor of Senator
In failing to pass this resolution, the
I will continue fighting to restore protections against junk plans. And I encourage all of my colleagues to do the same.
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