[Stann]

Affordable Healthcare Act

by Stann on Fri Jun 29, 2012 5:31 pm

Does anybody else see an elephant in this room?

I'd like to hear opinions on how the Affordable Healthcare Act will impact myeloma treatment in the future. How might it affect our treatment options? Are there some in our society that don't get treatment now? Will it delay release of newer therapies?

The only thing I know for certain is that if you don't have good health insurance and have myeloma, you're pretty happy with the court's ruling.

If this is a better question for the polling area, please move it!

[Ron Harvot]

Re: Affordable Healthcare Act

by Ron Harvot on Sat Jun 30, 2012 11:33 pm

Those with multiple myeloma that have jobs and insurance are not impacted at all. However, if we loose our jobs then everything change. Unless insurance can be obtained treatment may very well lead to economic ruin. The drugs are incredibly expensive. The AHCA has protections against denying coverage for pre-existing conditions and prohibits life time caps on coverage. However the republicans are on a mission to repeal the law and the provisions I just mentioned don't go into effect until 2014. Everything is still up in the air. The AHCA will also help reduce drug costs for
those on Medicare, as the donut hole is eliminated. As I get closer to retirement age, that is important to me. I don't want to have all my life time of retirement savings wiped out by the medical costs associated with multiple myeloma. I have only heard the republicans say they want to repeal the law. I have not heard much on what they would do that would help those with chronic illness like multiple myeloma.

Ron

[terryl1]

Re: Affordable Healthcare Act

by terryl1 on Sun Jul 01, 2012 5:45 am

Not to get embroiled in politics, but technically speaking, it is virtually impossible for this Congress to repeal the Health Care Act given that the the House does not have a veto proof majority and the Senate is still controlled by the Democrats. Any repeal effort has an ice cube's chance in hell of success. I bet the fervor will die down over the coming years as well.

[MM wife]

Re: Affordable Healthcare Act

by MM wife on Sun Jul 01, 2012 4:16 pm

I was very glad to see the Supreme Court upheld the Act. I hope that the Republicans fail in the efforts to overturn it, too.

My husband has been battling multiple myeloma for a year now, in a clinical study so currently Carfilzomib and Revlimid are provided at no cost to us. I must admit I am nervous for when he completes the study and my employer's insurance then has to pick up the RX Tab for Rev and Carf. My employer is self funded and I know his treatments caused my employer's medical expenses to jump $200k before we even hit a full year of treatments--before the even more expensive RX get added in this year!!!

Altho I know I'm a valued employee, I have heard about people employed elsewhere having their jobs eliminated in order to get them off the insurance. Hopefully that won't happen but sometimes businesses aren't as profitable and have to make hard decisions . I'm thankful to know if that were to happen to me, at least he couldn't be denied coverage completely now and we could purchase it ourselves. Using up so much retirement savings is a concern but we would just do it!