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Sunday, June 29, 2014

Norah's Story: The Reality of Obamacare


           Norah Lynn Fisher was born on August 14, 2013. From the beginning, Norah has been the sweetest, happiest, most content baby I’ve ever encountered. Everyone who spends time with her from her doctors and family to friends and strangers, talks about her amazing demeanor. She is truly a treasure. This made finding out about her heart conditions all the more devastating and shocking.
Our pediatrician recommended Dr. Farah Garmany, an award-winning pediatric cardiologist, when he heard an irregularity during her first check up.  There are pediatric cardiologists within the same practice, but our pediatrician knew Norah needed the best.  Dr. Garmany was serious, aggressive, and informative from the beginning.  She made no bones about what could happen to our baby.  She proved she was the best; relying on her instincts and then confirming her suspicions with various tests.  Norah was diagnosed with a hole in her heart and Wolff Parkinson White syndrome.  Norah’s heart has extra circuits and will randomly fire off at up to 300 beats per minute during one of her spells.  Dr. Garmany told us that it is not an extremely rare disorder; some people live their whole lives not knowing they have WPW and others die at age 8 leaving behind parents who had no idea. 
Norah was hooked up to monitors overnight and came back for test after test.  While the financial consequences of Norah’s medical issues are a tough burden, the emotional toll is much, much harder.  Every time she naps for more than an hour, every time she is in the middle of playing and suddenly starts screaming, when her feet turn blue or her face turns red; we are constantly panicked.  The silver lining is that our amazing pediatrician helped catch it early and we have (had) full faith in one of the best pediatric cardiologists in the country.
Over the last 6 months, tests and sonograms have confirmed that the hole has closed up on its own! It’s odd to say we were lucky that Norah had a hole in her heart, but that is what led to finding the WPW. She is thriving and has grown into a smart, funny ball of energy, earning her the nickname “Norah the Explorer.” She gives us hope while we await her next round of tests, which were originally scheduled for the first week of June.
In late May, we were notified that because of tripling premiums, my husband’s employer was dropping Cigna for a new insurance. This comes one year after they dropped United Healthcare because premiums were increasing drastically.  United and Cigna are very similar and adequate insurances, however we did lose coverage, options, and our deductible went from one thousand per family member to two thousand per family member.  Out of pocket for our family went from eight thousand to eighteen thousand. 
Last year we lost thousands in out of pocket expenses to keep premiums bearable, this year his employer changed to a policy with fewer doctors.  It should also be said that my husband’s employer is not the bad party here; they’ve increased their contributions every year to reduce premiums as well.  Most employers care deeply about their people, but the tide of Obamacare will be too big to be shielded from. We lost doctors. We lost our most important doctor; Norah lost Dr. Garmany.  We have to start all over; removed from the expert we fully trust. Obamacare has taken away the peace we had knowing our baby had the best care possible.
To Twitter trolls: we do not have Obamacare; we did, in fact, check the coverage; and we do, actually, care about our daughter’s well-being.  We are stuck with one plan, one option, and it is a company that nobody knows.  Even doctors in the network believe that they are not in the network.  We found out in the last week of May that open enrollment ends June 1st with Norah’s looming appointment June 6th.  We searched immediately for our doctors, spent every day writing appeals and trying to get Dr. Garmany and others in the network.  We are the third party, trying to match doctors who have never heard of a sketchy PPO to a PPO that has one person trying to answer the phone for the entire company.  A billing specialist at one of our doctors asked if we were insured with “Uncle Jerry’s Medical Insurance and Tackle Shop.”
Obamacare is the problem. Period. Insurances companies were providing a product that was voluntary to purchase and people bought it willingly and happily.  Some, like my husband, pick one job over another for medical benefits that the company provides.  Medical insurance is a benefit and was a good benefit for us.  Insurance companies must cover their asses because they are now being forced to sell a product they do not want to sell, many times to people who do not want to buy it.  Anyone who cannot find Obamacare at fault for the massive number of families who have lost coverage, doctors, or endured huge increases in premiums and deductibles is in denial or in need of strong medication. 
I want to shed light on my problem because there are millions of families that have similar issues and millions more to come.  This is only the beginning; as time ticks down to the new date of the employer mandate, millions more will have a story just like Norah’s.  Obamacare is a ruse, rammed through Congress in a disgusting fashion and shoved down the throats of good, tax-paying Americans.  The dirty trick of Obamacare is to destroy companies like Cigna and United, who cannot provide affordable insurance while covering people at forced rates that would otherwise cause them to lose billions, while insurance companies like First Health Network will pop up all over the place and provide insurance that nobody wants.  Obamacare is designed to destroy private insurance and force Americans into Uncle Sam’s loving arms.
            Blaming Obamacare brings out the trolls who I spoke of earlier, the ones that talk to purple unicorns about the meaning of life.  Those idiots have come after me in droves to defend their beloved king. I have heard the worst society has to offer and it does not bother me; these are worthless and miserable roaches, lurking in the dark to try to hurt people who haven’t gulped down Kool-Aid until they are void of rational reasoning.  They hide behind their keyboard; they are cowards who would never act so disgusting in the real world.
 I am not implying that the trolls who come after my family and me represent all democrats or progressives.  I would make the point that they are employing the same strategies that the left is famous for using time and again.  The left seeks to eliminate all conversation that defies their message.  It is a staple for the left to attack personally and lie to align the conversation to fit their message.  The left spawns the kind of vultures who go a step too far, the kind who attack my baby and me.

The good news is that my rant on Twitter has gained the attention of some remarkable people; followers who have offered support, doctors and insurance representatives who have offered advice, and pediatric cardiologists in our area, who have promised to try to work with our new insurance and get into the network.  Norah has a new appointment set for this summer; I am confident that our insurance issues will be resolved before then.  There is no limit to what we will endure for our baby.  I am not complaining about the extra effort involved in securing the doctor, I am simply pointing out that it is unnecessary and everyday Americans should not have to lose what they have worked for so that politicians can incentivize votes.  Liberals who have stumbled upon Norah’s story feel stung; their reaction is the real story.  Hard-line leftists would rather degrade a suffering family with a sick child than admit that the crown jewel they’ve been fighting to pass for so long is a complete failure.



77 comments:

  1. I appreciate you sharing your and your family's story. I hope that repeal is possible but I'm not sure that gets us back to zero. O-care decimated the insurance industry. I hope that we find a solution that would allow Norah access to the care she had and still needs. God Bless. We'll keep you both in our prayers.

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    1. "O-care decimated the insurance industry?"
      The amount of ignorance in this land of ours is staggering. HELLO??!! The ACA was written by a former WellPoint executive VP, Liz Fowler. Look it up.
      The insurance industry is very happy with the millions of new customers, I guarantee it. Check their stock prices lately? Cigna's has QUADRUPLED since the law passed.
      There ought to be a law against people as ignorant as yourself posting anything about policy.

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    2. This is a nice post. For getting more information about Health Care news and background. Articles are providing about healthcare, affordable health care, health care, health insurance, Assurant go http://healthcaresites24.blogspot.com

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  2. Thank you, thank you! Bless you all, beautiful baby best wishes to get through.

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  3. God bless you and your family, and especially your little giggle bug Norah--she is beautiful. I found you via the Hobby Lobby picture (yeah!) and read your comment that you wish you had brushed your hair and worn makeup. We women always can understand that feeling, but this grandma truly thinks you are beautiful Holly just the way you are--inside and out. --SW USA Grandma

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  4. I will be praying for you and Norah. And fighting beside you for her liberty and freedom. -Brad

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  5. Are you in a state where a Republican Governor has rejected federal funding (a key feature of the ACA)? Even if every single word of your story is true and correct (most of these stories have been quickly debunked), do you really think that your inconvenience shopping for a different doctor is a greater burden than having millions of uninsured Americans?

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  6. Your daughter is so beautiful. While I disagree with almost all of your posts, many of your assertions about ObamaCare and your analysis of the situation I am truly sorry for everything you are going through. No parent, especially a loving and decent one such as yourself deserves this. You love your daughter so much. Keep loving her and my thoughts and prayers are with you and Nora.

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  7. You have the choice to go on the exchange, or shop whichever insurance company you prefer, and purchase whichever policy you prefer. You do not have to accept your employers choice of insurance. Trying to blame the ACA for insurance companies raising deductables and out of pocket limits is laughable. There is no way your out of pocket for a family plan is $18,000. The ACA limits out of pocket for a family plan for 2014 to $12,700. If this part of your story is an exaggeration, it makes me wonder how much more is also

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    1. Um... did you read what she wrote? She wrote "out of pocket for our family went from $8,000 to $18,000." She did not say it was just for her "family plan." Medical expenses include more than just the ACA limited premiums on family plans. They include copays, deductibles and more. Be careful telling someone else what they did or did not pay out of pocket when you have no idea.

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    2. Um.. try reading it again. What she said was "Out of pocket for our family went from eight thousand to eighteen thousand." She did not say she paid out of pocket that much for just her family plan. Medical expenses out of pocket include more than ACA limited premiums. They include deductibles, copays and much more. You really have no business telling someone what they did or did not pay out of pocket when you have no idea.

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  8. Bullshit!! Our medical system is failing because of greed, pure and simple. From the doctors to the drug companies to the almighty insurance companies. Greed greed greed!! We will not fix this until we have socialized, non profit medicine. Those of you who support these capitalistic parasites don't get to complain when it affects you! Hypocritical conservative assholes.

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  9. You are a fucking idiot.

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  10. That kid should be taken away from you, you dumb fuck!! You have 200 000 cops, 350 k FBI,CIA,Homeland officers, 35 k special forces,SWAT, 600 000 National Guard, etc that will make you,and racist, hicks RTRDS like you-, so full of holes ,you could see Your parents regretting not aborting you,thru your body! One thing for sure, imbeciles like you wont die in their beds!! I bet you cant spell IQ,you fkng RTRD! Poor kid!!

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    1. I am appalled by your comment! There are others equally bad, and, after reading them all, some are even worse. I posted Holly's picture, in which she stands in front of an American flag, holding a bible in one hand and a weapon in the other. I disagree with everything that picture stands for, and said so in my FB post. But I felt obligated to read her story at the link to her blog, which was provided. So here I am, defending Holly's right to express her opinion and very much regretting the comments by some who profess to be liberals. Usually, these are the kinds of remarks which I am used to seeing from the far right. The country has been turned upside down by fear and hate. What a pity!

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  11. oh my.... cant have an opinion without name calling and profanity .... why that would not be tolerant now would it

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  12. I would like to verify the accuracy of your claims....Can you provide me with details so I can fact check? There are some inconsistencies here. You can't get denied for any reason to get health insurance, so why could you not get a new coverage?

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    1. You don't qualifiy for the exchanges if you re already covered by your employer.

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    2. That's not true. You can choose any insurance you want. I chose to go through the exchange and not my company's insurance because it was an overall better and cheaper plan

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    3. I tried to get coverage for my son - who has a heart problem as well - as my employer's coverage is expensive. I was told repeatedly I was not eligible for coverage through Obama care because coverage was available through my job. Never heard of this blogger until today, but I believe her. I have a dozen years of college under my belt and am an accomplished professional who investigated this thoroughly for myself.

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    4. I was told immediately by the people helping enroll people in the ACA, that my family was not eligible for obamacare because we have insurance under my husband work..so I do not know how you others could...I wanted to research what kind of plan we could get because our United healthcare plan tripled in cost and deductibles. My husband has worked for this company for many years and under Bush we had no increases at all!! When I called United to ask why it went up so much and coverage went down I was told I needed to write our pres. and thank him for it happening....well that's my experiences..no lies but I am waiting for you to begin the, you are a liar, name calling, infantile ranting to happen..

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    5. You can purchase a plan through the Affordable Care Act exchanges even if you already have coverage through an employer. The difference is that depending on your income, you may not be eligible for subsidies towards the cost of the insurance, plus, your employer pays a contribution through your work provided insurance plan and they won't have to contribute to a plan purchased through an exchange, so it may be more expensive. The key thing I'd recommend is going to the exchange and crunch the numbers yourself. https://www.healthcare.gov/what-if-i-have-job-based-health-insurance/

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  13. This isn't about left and right idealisms - this is about greedy insurance companies who just want more of our money. They need to be regulated so they cannot take advantage of us anymore.

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  14. I don't believe your story. I went from paying $800 a month for Blue Cross after lost job (which I couldn't afford so I went without insurance for 18 mo.) to paying $108 a month for ObamaCare. I have a better doctor than before and out of pocket of $1500 and before it was $5000. So either you're lying or you went to the wrong person to sign up for ACA.

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  15. If you try to take my health insurance I just got after going 13 years without it.
    You are going to need that gun you are shown brandishing.
    You are what is wrong with America today.
    Turn off fux you news ! Idiot !

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  16. Of course you don't "have" Obamacare, you silly twunt. NOBODY "has" Obamacare.
    Instead of spewing racist based ignorance at every opportunity, why don't you educate yourself on one or two things? "Obamacare" as you anti everything idiots insist on calling it, which has the actual designation of The ACA, has NOTHING AT ALL to do with the things you claim. It sets some requirements for the way Health Insurance companies do business. Period. The increase in premiums are 1) The insurance companies decision entirely independent of the ACA requirements, and 2) Entirely normal, and in fact much less than has been the norm all during Bush's administrations.
    http://www.eclectablog.com/2013/09/debunking-the-republican-lie-that-health-insurance-costs-have-skyrocketed-under-obama.html
    Finally, it is my belief that you are a bald faced liar. Every conservative claim about "tripled" premiums has so far, on investigation, turned out to be a LIE!!!
    Put up some actual numbers, or admit that you are an abject LIAR.

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    1. But she did put up some numbers: "our deductible went from one thousand per family member to two thousand per family member. Out of pocket for our family went from eight thousand to eighteen thousand." So, you see, $1000 per family member DOUBLED to $2000 per family member. Therefore, for the family it DOUBLED from $8000 [because apparently they're insuring 8 people???] to $18,000. Either this is that new math I've been hearing so much about or this chick can't even multiply something times two....just sayin'...

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    2. Excuse me??? It was Obama himself who started to call it Obamacare instead of the aca!! People are not lying about premiums tripling!! Ours did, and our deductible almost tripled too! Just because something did not happen to you doesn't mean it hasn't happened else where!

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    3. Put down the koolaid, Anonymous. You're embarrassing yourself. In the digital age, everything is traceable, everything is searchable, and there is simply no reason but willful ignorance for swallowing wildly inaccurate claims hook-line-and-sinker.

      From October 2011: "Jeanne Schulte Scott argued for the trade journal Healthcare Financial Management in March 2007 that then-President Bush had "put all his eggs into his 'privatization' basket" in his 2007 State of the Union address; nevertheless, he made health care the "issue du jour" for the 2008 presidential race. "Health care is hot!" she wrote, and then made a prediction that seems so quaint given all that's passed in the last four-and-a-half years:
      The many would-be candidates for president in 2008 are falling over themselves offering their own proposals. We will soon see a "Giuliani-care" and "Obama-care" to go along with "McCain-care," "Edwards-care," and a totally revamped and remodeled "Hillary-care" from the 1990s.
      That's the first real reference to Obamacare in LexisNexis (some stories are incorrectly dated). Andy Martin wrote on his blog Contrarian Commentary, "In a 'bid 'em high' contest with Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, Obama proposes free health care for everyone: Obamacare." Martin's post is dated one day before Healthcare Financial Management's issue date, but magazines typically post-date their issues so they look fresher on the newsstands. The March issue likely came out in early February.

      A few weeks later, Gary A. Beckman, writing a letter to the editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, complained on March 26, 2007, "Wait until the Dems seriously whittle away the Patriot Act, Second Amendment rights and border security. Wait until we experience socialized medicine a la Hillarycare or Obamacare ... Yes, you Democrats and independents (who voted Democrat) have made a difference with your 2006 vote. Congratulations."

      Headline writers squeezed for space gave the term momentum since "Obamacare" is so much shorter than "Obama's health care overhaul" or "Obama's health care bill." On May 30, 2007, The Hotline headlined a roundup of news about then-candidate Obama announcing his health care proposal "Obama: Here's Obamacare." A few days later, Jason Horowitz's story for the June 6 New York Observer (which also post dates its issues) was titled, "Stat! Clinton Readies Scalpel for Obamacare." Neither contains the term in the body of the story, so it was likely the work of an editor."

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    4. @ Noelle... try reading things correctly before you go all math teacher on someone. She said her DEDUCTIBLE doubled from $1,000 to $2,000. The increase from $8,000 to $18,000 was related to her OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES this year and has little to do with her deductible. Out of pocket expenses include PREMIUMS, COPAYS AND DEDUCTIBLES and more. While you apparently fancy yourself good at math, you might want to brush up on how to READ.

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    5. the max out of pocket per family is 12,700.00 that is why I dont understand when people are saying its anything above that, unless someone can site differently

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  17. Your definition of "complete failure" is, well...a complete failure.

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  18. First of all, let me just say that you write very well.

    At least for an ignorant, hate-filled right-wing whack job.

    Your rantings about the ACA are, of course, laughably wrong, as pointed out above. It's a shame that you waste your energy fighting the wrong enemies - especially when your daughter has such a vested interest in you being knowledgeable about these issues. Wise up, for her sake at least.

    My prayers are with your daughter, both for her health condition, and for the fact that she's got you for a mother. I'm sure you love the hell out of her, but you're going to fill her mind with poison. We all pray that she'll see the light someday.

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  19. Get a job, stop asking for hand outs! Read the book of Job.

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  20. "The dirty trick of Obamacare is to destroy companies like Cigna and United..."
    Check out the 5-year stock price history of Cigna, WellPoint, UnitedHealth Group, Humana, Aetna (the top publicly held US insurers).
    They've ALL been profiting spectacularly. Before Obamacare, the private health insurance market in this country was broken, and in a death spiral of poor service and rising premiums.
    Obamacare singlehandedly saved the private insurers' sorry butts.

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  21. Without the ACA, your baby's heart condition would have been called a pre-existing condition by your greedy insurance company and would not have been covered at all. Before the ACA, my daughter lost a doctor I loved, but I did not have the ACA to blame. I only had the insurance companies to blame, and they are the only one's to blame.

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    1. Sadly, she doesn't seem to grasp that the whole pre-existing condition part of the ACA is the only reason her kid has any coverage at all. Conveniently ignoring that bit of reality, isn't she?

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  22. Sorry- it may sound harsh to you, but your daughter's health issues are a punishment from God for you and your husband's sins. You need to get right with God and pray He forgives you so your sweet baby doesn't have to suffer for what you have done!

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    1. Your an idiot. God wouldn't go after a helpless baby just because his/her parents sinned. You should learn a bit more about God and get right with God yourself before you open your mouth about others getting right with God.

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    2. Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. -- 2 Samuel 12:14

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  23. Really? Her baby's issues are a punishment from God? I'm not extremely religious, but I can't imagine a God that is supposed to love would do something like this. How about practical medical evidence that this sort of thing just happens, or genetics? To quote your book, "Cast the first stone" Anon... look at your own sins before bringing light to anybody else's.

    Now aside from that, I don't hold your political or religious beliefs at all Holly, but I wish you and your family well through this struggle your beautiful Norah is having. Keep working with your doctors, surely you can find the care she needs. And good on all those people offering help... that's the kind of mind set we need, the pay it forward kind not this soapbox of misinformation and ridiculous behavior. COME ON PEOPLE!

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  24. ' It is a staple for the left to attack personally and lie to align the conversation to fit their message. The left spawns the kind of vultures who go a step too far, the kind who attack my baby and me.'---You can always count on the Left to strengthen allegations like this. Such as in this comments section.

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    1. Find me a left leaning blog and you'll see the same thing. It's not a left/right thing... it's an asshole thing. Stop blaming a side based on the actions of a few.

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    2. That's exactly right: it's an asshole thing. I couldn't have said it better myself (but really wish I had)!

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  25. Just do what you tell everyone else to do... go find a job whose insurance coverage you like. I mean, it's that easy, right? You tell others that all the time.

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  26. Holly, it looks like you have some options here:
    1. Your husband could get another job with better medical insurance plans.

    2. It sounds like you aren't currently employed so you could get a job with medical insurance that includes your preferred doctors.

    3. If you can't get a job, or don't wish to work, could you apply for Medicaid on your own? West Virginia declined to expand Medicaid so you'd have to use the federal website to apply. Your husband's taxes help pay for Medicaid so you wouldn't really be taking advantage of the system.

    With your child's health at risk, you should investigate ALL options, even if some of them aren't to your liking.

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    1. West Virginia did not decline Medicaid expansion.

      http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/01/21/3184311/west-virginia-medicaid-expansion/

      http://www.rockefeller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=health-insurance-resource-center-west-virginia-s-medicaid-expansion

      http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/05/02/1954191/west-virginia-will-expand-medicaid/

      I know many people who have benefited from this expansion, including a friend's mother who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer.

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    2. Thank you, Anonymous. I saw that West Virginia was encouraging their citizens to use the federal website and jumped to the conclusion that they weren't expanding. Always glad to be corrected.

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    3. The hairdresser of a friend who hadn't had health insurance for 20 years was FINALLY talked into looking at the ACA plans available in her state.

      She found one that she could afford, had the first physical and tests she'd had for years and discovered she was in the early stages of breast cancer.

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  27. Down with Obamacare! I long for the day when the private insurance companies are free to sell to whomever they want, at whatever price they want!

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    1. You might be the biggest idiot in the history of our country...you fucking IDIOT.

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    2. It is hard to effectively portray sarcasm in an internet post.

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  28. Holly, I think that you are a lying hypocrite. All of the Right-Wing sob stories like yours have been debunked as Conservative propaganda, and yours will be as well.
    You also whine and moan about your husband's employer choosing your healthcare options, yet you proudly support Hobby Lobby choosing their employee's healthcare options. If you had any intellect at all, you would see how hypocritical that is.
    You have very nice clothes, you eat at Chic-Fil-A, you own a very expensive firearm, yet you can't afford to care for your child. Very typical of you right-wing scumbags.
    Instead of blaming the ACA (Obamacare), try putting the blame where it REALLY belongs...your Tea Party. YOUR party is the one who is denying healthcare to hundreds of thousands in your state, not Obama. Obama is trying to get you and the people in your state affordable healthcare, but your elected officials have refused it. Suck it up, YOU caused this. Don't blame the one who is working to help you when you fall into the pit that YOU dug.

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    1. Idiot alerts incoming!!!! This is not Holly's child, she was sharing another family's battle....shesh!! Read much?

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    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP_fa-FqT_c Here watch this video and call of us with stories liars. Prices went up because young Americans didn't sign up for ACA, which is what needed to happen to cover ACA. Remember when Michelle Obama said young people were all "knuckleheads" because we didn't sign up.

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  29. People Crack me up. Hatefilled. You spew hate for someone with an opinion but want to push your opinion on them! Everyone needs to grow up and let puerile have their own opinions. It's called America.

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  30. Hahahahahaha your baby's gonna DIE. Please send me the dead foetus so I can fuck it's dead ass.

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    1. Good grief. There's one in every crowd...
      Kid, get off the computer and out of your mom's basement.

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    2. Actually, I'm in YOUR mom's basement. I smell like her rotten vagina.

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    3. ugh. some people are disgusting

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    4. Yes, Alan, indeed they are! The last two by Anonymous, at 12:28 pm and 12:39 pm, are beyond the pale!! No wonder he and others are hiding behind the veil of anonymity...cowards! These aren't political statements, they are simply the disgusting ravings of those who have no concept of human decency.







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    5. Go back to 4chan you stupid newfag.

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  31. This story is ridiculous, and although this is a very sad situation, I can tell it is not truthful. A lot of the this story makes me think you know nothing about the ACA beyond your own thoughts or what has been told to you by other uninformed people. I think you have no idea what you are talking about.

    On another note, I don't really agree with people saying horrible things about this baby. You maybe, especially since you say whatever you want about anyone, but not a baby. That's pretty low.

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  32. I was diagnosed with WPW 22 years ago at age 12. I think it's interesting that you are using your daughter's diagnosis to label her as sick. You are falsely implying that she is deathly ill. WPW is very rarely fatal. The procedure to correct it is catheter ablation and it is considered low risk (mine was an outpatient procedure). It is also a very common procedure for pediatric cardiologists to perform, so your need for a new doctor is a minor inconvenience at best.

    The saddest part is that you attempt to let the real bad guys (insurance companies) off the hook by demonizing the ACA which is in place for just these kinds of situations. Blaming "Obamacare" for your troubles is ridiculous and shows that you are grossly misinformed.

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    1. My first cousin died from it when he was 24...it can be deadly serious...sounds like you had a very mild case!

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  33. Personally, I would have just liked a 'medicare for all' option

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  34. I have WPW and I am now 56. I have always had episodes of rapid heart rate. As an infant I had a murmur. Surgery was an option to close the hole in my heart and fix the murmur. Back then, pediatric heart surgery was a big deal. The only time WPW caused me issues in my youth were when I was doing heavy exercise and my heart would race. I also had random, short episodes of A-fib. A couple years back, I had a long episode of A-fib and needed cardioversion. I take medication to slow my heart rate now and have not experienced more episodes of A-fib or rapid heart rate.. If I develop more episodes, I can have ablation done to correct the issue. This isn't a mystery disease and there are millions of good cardiologists out there to treat it.

    Companies changing insurance coverage is not a new thing. I worked 35yrs for a company and during that time I have experienced coverage changes and have had coverage under a dozen companies. I can only recall one time that our physician was not a preferred provider. All coverage has an out of network option which you can use if you so desire.

    You can be pleased to know that your child can't be refused insurance due to her pre-existing condition due to ACA and she can stay on your coverage after 19y/o. I have experienced being denied coverage for two of my children due to pre-existing conditions that were far less serious than WPW. One was denied due to having a couple ear infections as an infant, the other child denied did have a serious medical condition and had several surgeries to correct it. Even though the condition had been surgically corrected and he had no more problems after surgery, insurance denied him coverage. My children had been covered through their father's insurance and we were trying to switch coverage to my plan as it was better coverage. They never lapsed in coverage, but had to remain on a plan that did not cover immunizations and didn't direct pay providers. My children are adults now, but I have a lifetime of experience with insurance and children and I can tell you what you are experiencing is nothing new. In my 30+ years of motherhood I can say that insurance has changed over the years for the better. I remember rhogam not being covered with my first child and having to pay out of pocket for it.

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  35. I disagree with most everything you say, but I send nothing but love and prayers for good health to you and your family. We may have completely separate political viewpoints, but everyone deserves respect and good wishes.

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  36. Holly from the leftJuly 7, 2014 at 9:10 PM

    I fully expected you to censor comments, and was prepared to call you out. I also - as many above - disagree with just about everything you've said here. But props for not being "that" blogger, and letting everyone have their say. I hope you read the comments, especially the well-reasoned ones that point out that your conclusion that "Obamacare" is entirely to blame is not just false, but impossible. I'll give you this: some of the rebuttal comments are wrong, too. That's embarrassing... because they're on "my" side (the opposite of your side).

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  37. Are we to believe then that Dr. Farah Garmany does not take cash clients? Or is this the part Where Hard Right Holly complains that it's not fair that someone else isn't picking up her family's medical bills?

    If the above article were written by anyone else, Holly would be right there yelling about the person's lack of "personal responsibility".

    Pro-tip Holster: Posing for pictures with intentionally inflammatory and provocative messages brings out the trolls and assholes. You buy the ticket, you take the ride.

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    1. Yes, well...clearly, Holly does not understand the basics of how insurance works. Every cost for her daughter's care that goes over her copayment of premiums + deductible is being paid with the premiums of other insured individuals who are putting more in than they're taking out. It is a financial pool....a redistribution of wealth...a completely socialist structure that she benefits from to keep her daughter healthy. Oh the hypocritical irony...

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  38. As I college educator I too can appreciate what an excellent writer you are. Kudos to you for that! I can also tell that you are a loving parent with your daughter's best interest at heart and that is admirable. I pretty much disagree with everything else that you said, especially the part about "the left spawning trolls." How is that? If you ever read a left-leaning post you will see the trolls there in abundance. But these are anonymous people who we don't know and have no idea what they actually believe (they probably don't even know)...that's why they're called TROLLS. In spite of the sickening, hate-filled, psychotic comments that I have read from many trolls on left blogs I would never try to say that the right creates more or worse trolls. That would be silly and not something that I could actually prove. The only purpose for my saying that would be to inflame or take a jab at the right. Your writing is great but you should learn how to move past incendiary language and jabs.

    Now about the ACA. I don't know if you're into history, most young people in America aren't, so you may not know that when Social Security was first passed into law there were many Americans who were against it and Franklin D. Rosevelt took a lot of heat for it. They viewed it basically in the same way that many today view the ACA. Now it is an American institution; a right, something that many people rely on and are proud to be able to reap the benefits from. Hopefully you, like most Americans, view it as a good thing for our American seniors. Well, the ACA is in a transitonal period much like SS was. There are those who aren't happy about it, most of those only because Obama put it into law. But just you watch...10, 20, 30 years down the road the ACA will be well established and here to stay and it will be something that Americans will be proud of and that many will be willing to fight for. Maybe even your daughter. Maybe even you!

    Signed: Amarilynn in CA
    (my computer forced me to post as anonymous)

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  39. Why are you begging for handouts, you hipocrite. If not the the ACA, you'd be payin for this whole thing yourself - you know, preexisting conditions and all. Com'on, pull yourself up by your bootstraps or something.

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  40. Here to share some love since there are some trolls out. Prayers for your family!

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  41. My husband place of employment sent out letters when it was time to renew our health insurance saying that we had the choice of staying with the insurance that the company provides or going on the exchange. We choose to stay with the insurance we have. We have excellent insurance. $300/person in network deductible, $600/person out of network. $1200 in network out of pocket, $2500 out of network out of pocket. We pay $150 for husband/wife monthly. We are very fortunate that his employer finds the insurance companies that don't want to rob you. We had CIGNA & changed to BCBSIL for the last 2 years. Both insurances were pretty much the same price. So it's the companies that go with the insurance companies that are robbing you. If they cared about their employees they would go out & find the insurance companies whose premiums aren't a bank breaker. Our Rx are also $2, 25, 50.

    I also did find your story full of holes but whatever the real story is blaming the ACA is not the answer. I also have friends that couldn't get insurance but can now becuz of the ACA. For the people on here that are just nasty with the inappropriate comments I just hope you don't eat with that mouth & to say the things about a child ....... There are no words that could ever be said to make that OK. Shameful that people would even think to speak of children like that.

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  42. How does this have anything to do with Obamacare? I fail to see the connection. If you could elaborate, that would be appreciated. Cause from what I can tell, your daughters condition would be considered a "pre-existing condition"...meaning a reason for her to be denied coverage. Under Obamacare, her pre-existing condition cannot disqualify her from coverage. Maybe you should apply for Obamacare and pay for your own policy instead on contributing to your employers plan. Sounds like their coverage sucks ass.

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