Here & Now

Cancer Survivor: Senate Health Care Plan Is "Inhumane”

Frederica Freyberg:

Just before we interviewed U.S. Senator Ron Johnson a week ago on this program, we received an email from a viewer in Appleton. She wanted us to ask the senator his position on how any new health care bill would treat people with pre-existing conditions. And whether he wants to allow refusal of coverage or higher rates. Jennifer Edmondson wrote us that she is a six-year breast cancer survivor and says because of it her insurance premiums went through the roof until the ACA became law, when she was able to purchase affordable health care insurance. She joins us now from Appleton and thanks very much for doing so.

Jennifer Edmondson:

Thank you for inviting me.

Frederica Freyberg:

Just to remind our viewers, we asked Senator Johnson last week if he thinks any bill should include protections for pre-existing conditions. Here’s what he said.

Jennifer Edmondson:

I think our country has decided we want to protect people with pre-existing conditions, but we can do it in a manner that doesn’t collapse these individual markets and doesn’t unfairly put the cost burden on a very small slice of the American population. Wisconsin’s high risk pool isn’t perfect, but it worked pretty well. So we should take a look at those best practice examples and that’s the path toward guaranteeing people coverage with pre-existing districts without collapsing markets and without causing premiums to skyrocket.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now Jennifer did you feel like he answered your questions about what’s going to happen to people like you?

Jennifer Edmondson:

No, not at all. I found that his response was disappointing and he left out a number of details that I think if people knew about them, they’d be shocked.

Frederica Freyberg:

Like what?

Jennifer Edmondson:

Well, three things come to mind. First is the topic of high-risk pools. Senator Johnson commented that he thought the Wisconsin high-risk pool that existed before the ACA, I think he said it worked pretty well. What he didn’t tell us is that when the high-risk pool was in effect, 500,000, that’s half a million Wisconsinites, were put into that high-risk pool. However, their premiums were so high they were not able to afford those premiums and so they remained uninsured. And during that program, only 20,000 Wisconsinites actually were covered through the high-risk pool. The third thing that I think is most shocking is that in 2010, the Wisconsin high-risk pool program operated at a loss of $17 million. And the subsequent year, 2011, it operated at a loss of $7 million. So we’re looking at a loss of $24 million over a two-year time period. I think that people would be shocked if they knew that.

Frederica Freyberg:

So —

Jennifer Edmondson:

Also, —

Frederica Freyberg:

I was just going to say, so it concerns you, the idea that going back to that kind of high-risk pool insurance plan that we had in Wisconsin. But I want to just interject and say he did say that our country has decided to protect people with pre-existing conditions. So does that give you some solace, that he acknowledges that?

Jennifer Edmondson:

No, because what I think we’ve learned over time is that words — the words are not ringing true. Pre-existing conditions, everyone is affected by that. Either they themselves have a pre-existing condition or their loved one does. In the United States there are 52 million people under the age of 65 who have pre-existing conditions for which they would not have qualified for any insurance or coverage prior to the ACA coming into effect.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now —

Jennifer Edmondson:

And those — an example of pre-existing —

Frederica Freyberg:

Yeah. Go ahead.

Jennifer Edmondson:

An example of pre-existing conditions can be acne, diabetes, heart conditions and in my case breast cancer.

Frederica Freyberg:

Before the ACA, but after your diagnosis with breast cancer, what were your insurance rates like?

Jennifer Edmondson:

I took a look at my records, and for the three years after my diagnosis — my diagnosis of breast cancer was in 2011. And it was breast cancer that had metastasized and spread into my lymph nodes under my left arm. For the three years after my diagnosis, our health insurance premiums increased by over 50% and my husband and I are small business owners, so we have always paid 100% of our insurance premiums in the individual market.

Frederica Freyberg:

On the ACA —

Jennifer Edmondson:

But then after —

Frederica Freyberg:

Yeah.

Jennifer Edmondson:

And through the ACA plan now, our insurance premiums are substantially more affordable and we also have a lower deductible.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, what is it like at this point not knowing what to expect going forward?

Jennifer Edmondson:

Well, I imagine it’s frightening. It’s frightening to me, but I imagine it’s also frightening to other people, especially the 52 million people who have pre-existing conditions in this country. They don’t know if they’re going to be covered. We hear our leaders say, “Don’t worry. We’re not going to harm you.” And yet their actions are speaking louder than their words. They’re meeting in secrecy. They’re concocting some kind of plan. They’re trying to jam it down our throats without any public hearing and without any public disclosure.

Frederica Freyberg:

Is this political for you?

Jennifer Edmondson:

Frederica, access to affordable health care transcends politics for me. The Republicans are playing a political game with the lives of Americans. But this is not a game for me and for Americans. This is life and death.

Frederica Freyberg:

What message, briefly, do you have for the crafters of any repeal and replace bills?

Jennifer Edmondson:

Well, Donald Trump called the Republicans’ plan mean, and I'd like to add to that. And what I would add is that this plan, this plan is inhumane, it’s un-American and it’s contrary to any religious or spiritual belief on this planet. And there are five things I would ask that our elected officials please, please do and that’s this: stop playing political games with Americans' lives. Stop lying to us. Start working in a truly bipartisan fashion. Hold public hearings instead of cooking up harmful plans in secret and trying to jam them down our throats. And finally, please perform your sworn duties to the American public to ensure domestic tranquility and to promote the general welfare.

Frederica Freyberg:

Jennifer Edmondson from Appleton, we leave it there.

Jennifer Edmondson:

Thank you.