Fighting back tears of joy and surrounded by his wife and three children, a Kansas man describes how Obamacare, Pres. Obama’s signature health care law, literally saved his life.
Mike O’Dell was able to get health insurance thanks to Obamacare on January 1st, enabling him to go on the transplant waiting list, and he now has a new heart.
“I thought I’d deteriorate and eventually I’d pass away. It’s just been, it’s been tough,” he said as he fought back tears of joy in appreciation towards Obamacare.
Like millions of other sick Americans in need of critical healthcare, before enrolling in Obamacare, Mike could not afford the transplant that he needed. Although he qualified for Crisis Medicaid coverage for those with high medical expenses, but he was unable to meet the spenddown requirements to have continuous coverage.
“While we could have done the transplant even without charging him, the medication he would never be able to afford,” said Dr. Andrew Kao, his heart specialist.
His treatment had a price tag of $4,000 a month, prohibitively expensive for Mike and his family.
“I didn’t want them giving me somebody else’s gift and I couldn’t afford to have it,” said O’Dell.
Due to his preexisting heart condition, he was unable to get private health insurance. Thanks to Obamacare, insurers can no longer deny coverage to those with the existing conditions. Both O’Dell and his wife were able to get coverage through the health insurance marketplace for only $190 a month, allowing him to go on the transplant waiting list right away.
“He wouldn’t be here with me or my children if it weren’t for the Obamacare,” said O’Dell’s wife, Kate.
According to his doctors, Mike wouldn’t have lived long without having received the gift of the strangers heart last week.
“Kinda like winning the lottery,” said O’Dell.
A deadly infection had struck Mike’s heart only three years ago. He admits that before the infection, he believed he was perfectly healthy and had no need for health insurance. Now he says, he knows differently.
One never knows when disaster will strike, and Obamacare provides every American with the comfort of knowing that life-saving health care is not only attainable, but also affordable.
Thank you, Obamacare.
No comments:
Post a Comment