We celebrate this morning’s Supreme Court ruling as a significant step forward in making health insurance accessible and affordable for more Minnesotans. Today’s decision upholding key provisions of the Affordable Care Act is important because, for hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans, their interest in health care reform is not about legal opinions or political battles – it’s about whether their families can afford to see a doctor.
Much was at risk in today’s ruling. The Affordable Care Act already allows children to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26, prevents insurers from denying children coverage for pre-existing conditions, and requires preventive services to be covered without out-of-pocket costs. These benefits could have been lost.
But even more was at stake. The Affordable Care Act can remove many of the barriers that keep people from getting adequate and affordable health insurance coverage. We can now move forward with implementing these provisions, including:
- Improving access to health coverage by creating a health insurance exchange where individuals and small businesses can shop for private insurance;
- Making insurance more affordable by offering tax subsidies to lower the cost of premiums and out-of-pocket costs for many Minnesotans;
- Ensuring a basic level of coverage for everyone by creating a set of “essential benefits” that all health insurance plans in the state must cover;
- Setting up a system of trained navigators to help guide individuals and small businesses through the process of selecting and purchasing the health insurance products that fit their needs;
- Reducing health disparities by improving insurance rates in communities of color through more affordable coverage and better outreach.
There are still significant gaps in our current health care system - nearly half a million Minnesotans were without health insurance at last count.
People go without health insurance for a variety of reasons: they can’t afford the premiums, pre-existing conditions make it difficult to qualify, they find it hard to shop for insurance, or they are crossing their fingers that they’ll stay healthy.
But going without insurance carries very high risks, both for the individual and the state’s economy. An individual who is uninsured (or underinsured) is more likely to avoid seeking medical care in a timely way, leading to worse health outcomes. People are also less likely to be able to afford their medical bills if a health care emergency strikes, leading to medical debt. And this inability to pay hurts the state’s economy because it leads to more uncompensated care, which eventually results in higher health care costs for everyone else.
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act gives us a chance to provide accessible, affordable and adequate insurance coverage for more Minnesotans. We can reduce the number of uninsured and create a health care system that works for everyone.
There is still lots of work to be done before the bulk of these reforms are implemented in 2014 – but you can count on the Minnesota Budget Project to keep you informed along the way.
-Christina Wessel
Christina,
As a young adult and one of the half of million Minnesotans who are without medical care, I have to disagree with the following paragraph:
“The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act gives us a chance to provide accessible, affordable and adequate insurance coverage for more Minnesotans. We can reduce the number of uninsured and create a health care system that works for everyone.”
I’ve chosen to go without health insurance for several reasons. The primary one is finances. I have lived my entire life below the official “poverty line,” and only this year will I finally make enough money to come even close to rising above it. I have discovered the hard way that it doesn’t matter how hard you work or how much money you make: the more you make, the less you get to keep. So I’ve taken the approach of keeping my monthly bills down to a bare minimum, and while it’s not an easy task, it has been making a difference in the amount I’m able to save and the amount I’m able to pay down my student loans by (the only debt I have).
Dropping health insurance payments has enabled me to pay down my student loans, which, when paid off, will increase the amount I have left over in my income every month. Without this “leftover,” I will have no savings and no chance of upward mobility.
I understand, from comments made from the president himself, that one of the primary reasons for the individual mandate is force young, healthy people (like me) onto health insurance in order to increase the risk pool and lower the costs for “everyone.” There is also a strong insinuation that those without health insurance are irresponsible and don’t know what’s good for them or society. As a highly educated, motivated, and responsible human being and American citizen, I find this both insulting and unfair. I understand the risks of not having health insurance. I practice “preventative care” everyday; in the foods I eat, the miles I run, and the research I do on health. I am trained by the Red Cross in Wilderness First Aid and am planning on getting my Wilderness First Responder in the fall. I understand that I’m taking a risk: if I am in a car accident or other emergency that I cannot take care of myself, I will be stuck with huge medical bills that will take me a long time to pay off. That is a risk I am willing to take in the short term, while I’m young and healthy, in order to meet financial goals. Eventually, I would like to purchase a high deductible insurance and open a MSA, if those are still options under the ACA regulations.
The last, but most important reason I have chosen not to have health insurance is that I do not agree with all of the practices and treatments prescribed by modern medicine. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for all of the discoveries and advancements that doctors and scientists have made and are still making. But many of those treatments are not the solution for me. For example: I very much dislike prescription drugs. I have nothing against others taking them, but I do not like the effect they have on my body. I have found that my body can recover on its own very well without these drugs and their side effects. Under the ACA, the types of doctors and treatments that “Affordable Care” will cover will be limited to what the Federal Government and big Pharma thinks are appropriate. So I will, essentially, be paying for a service that I will not use, will not completely support, and will not follow through with (prescription meds).
I really appreciate the efforts of Minnesotans, like you, who are working to ensure that people are treated fairly and have access to the resources they need to support themselves and their families. I’m writing this comment (apologies for its length) because I’ve read the law, done the math, and realized that the ACA is indirectly killing my chances at upward mobility, which will ensure not only a better life for me, but for my future family. I believe that many Minnesotans who are in the same situation as I am are hard working, responsible, and committed to improving both their own lives and the lives of those in their community. But we cannot do this if we are kept down by laws like the ACA.
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Christina,
Thank you for your compelling statement about why the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ACA is so crucial. Many viewpoints are shared with extremely biased and polarizing undertones; your analysis simply provides the facts and clearly communicates the importance of this historic ruling. I can always count on the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Minnesota Budget Project for reliable, nonpartisan information. Thank you for that, and for all you do. It’s so appreciated!
Alicia Munson