The President and the Grand Old Party (GOP), informs us that they’ll have a new healthcare plan to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2020. Details are sketchy, but to characterize the President’s assessment, it will be “Stupendous Orgasmic & Lavish.” Or, SOL in U.S. Army and Urban Dictionary shorthand.
Congressman Steve Womack and Senators Boozman and Cotton were unable to add much detail when I called their offices. But answering factotums promised they’d “absolutely” replace ACA with SOL, and “very soon.” Once again, our crack Arkansas politicos are on top of things.
Last month, the boss had a coughing jag that became an excruciating headache. We ended up in the Mercy Hospital ER and, after 110 minutes of excellent care consisting of an MD consultation, a brain scan, an injection for pain, and occasional monitoring by a nurse, we were discharged with a Via Con Dios. When the bill came it was for about $12,000 – or $109.09 a minute.
While the boss was in the ER, a comatose woman was brought in with a drug overdose. She was revived with the help of heroic ambulance drivers, nurses, an MD, and assorted medical personnel, and was then admitted to the general hospital for observation. What the druggie’s medical tab was is unknown, but unlike the boss, she is likely uninsured and without collectible assets. In her case, Mercy is already on the President’s SOL Plan.
In our case, the $12,000 became $2,050 when Medicare was billed, and because we have good insurance – costing $3,800 a year – our out of pocket cost was $243. I suppose the $64 Question is “What did it really cost?”
Was it $12,000? Or $2,050? Do uninsured people pay $12,000? Can they negotiate it down to $2,050? Researchers disagree on the number of U.S. bankruptcies caused by medical bills each year, but the estimates range from 270,760 to about 700,000. Did these folks fail at negotiating?
What we do know is that President Trump and the GOP will repeal that vile and wicked ACA and protect our “free market” healthcare system with something truly Stupendous Orgasmic & Lavish. Then we’ll all be SOL.
Hope the boss is feeling fine now. Think we ought to follow the trail of the plan that will come straight from K-Street lobbyists to Republican lawmakers, in order to know which companies will benefit the most. It won’t be the ordinary citizens who benefit.