Originally published May 23 2013
Under Obamacare, cancer patients could pay thousands of dollars a month out of pocket for treatment
by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
(NaturalNews) The affordable component of the so-called Affordable Care Act may not be all that affordable after all, as many of the most sickly patients covered under the Obama scheme will still likely have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for their treatments, according to new reports. In California, for instance, cancer patients could be required to pay up to 30 percent of the costs associated with chemotherapy drugs and other conventional treatments, and the situation could be much the same in many other states as Obamacare comes into effect next January.
The primary reason for this, say industry analysts, is that many more people with debilitating diseases who are currently uninsured will suddenly have Obamacare coverage at the beginning of next year, and the money to pay for this massive influx of people with preexisting health conditions has to come from somewhere. In other words, when the other shoe finally drops, insurers will be forced to either drastically increase premiums across the board, or simply charge patients high deductibles and copays for expensive medicines.
"To try to keep premiums low, some states are allowing insurers to charge patients a hefty share of the cost for expensive medications used to treat cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other life-altering chronic diseases," says the Associated Press (AP). "Insurers are forecasting double-digit premium increases for individual policies, as people with health problems flock to buy coverage previously denied them."
What this all means, of course, is that "affordable" coverage for all will fall primarily on the backs of people who already have health insurance coverage, and whose premiums will rise dramatically when the health care system becomes that much more socialized in 2014. Either that or all patients will "affordable" coverage will be forced to simply pay more for their treatments, which contradicts the very basis upon which Obamacare was forced through Congress.
According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the drugs that will cost patients the most out of pocket include so-called "specialty" drugs like Gleevec (imatinib mesylate), a Novartis drug commonly used to treat a rare type of blood cancer known as chronic myeloid leukemia. The group says patients with Obamacare coverage could still be required to pay $2,000 or more every month to access the high-cost drug, as well as others with similarly-high recurring costs.
"Forget about cost savings," says a Washington Times editorial highlighting the major gap between what was promised with Obamacare and what is actually set to take place. "The IRS now estimates that the least expensive of the government-sanctioned health plans will cost the average family of four $20,000 a year -- an increase of about $4,000."
Rats in Congress scurry away from mandate they forced on the rest of America
This is one of the many reasons why many Democrats in Congress who advocated for Obamacare's passage are now jumping ship, or at the very least trying to create their own personal exemptions to the sick care debacle. According to a recent piece by Politico.com, key Obamacare architects like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), as well as enabling political hacks like House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), are currently discussing ways to personally exempt themselves from the unconstitutional mandate.
However, as mentioned in a previous NaturalNews article, the IRS will not actually have the necessary legal instruments at its disposal to force people who refuse the Obamacare mandate to pay any fines, which means the "law" itself is technically void. Add to this the fact that Obamacare was hatched in the Senate rather than in the House -- any laws that impose new taxes must originate in the House, according to the Constitution -- and what we have is a completely unenforceable hoax of a law that Americans have full right to ignore and disregard.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.foxnews.com
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100731024
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/26/retreat-on-obamacare/
http://www.politico.com
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com
http://garrett.house.gov/top-ten-reasons-obamacare-unconstitutional
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