"I was 25.. under my parents plan.. had skin cancer removed" "How has Obamacare helped you?"

[Dawgs]

I just found this thread on reddit.com. Has some good stories and comments from our younger generation. Enjoy if you wish.

I was 25 and unemployed and under my parents medical plan when I had skin cancer removed from my back. How has OBAMACARE helped you?
http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/zms7s/i_was_25_and_unemployed_and_under_my_parents/

[magical thyme]

1. 5 weeks ago my hours at the lab were cut in half

Heads up: this is intended as a warning about unintended consequences.
1. Don't assume that when hospitals are forced to cut expenses that it will come from doctors ordering unnecessary procedures and tests or from administrative excesses or from the 1%.
2. The working atmosphere is increasingly toxic.

*******

We knew this was coming. A consultant came in a couple months ago and advised them to cut by 2 full time lab employees. They closed one open req and cut the hours of 3 per diems and 1 part timer instead.

3 weeks ago I made a mistake on a gram stain. The micro lead tech elevated the mistake and it led to a change in policy. I had been literally running nonstop for 4 hours. No chance to go to the bathroom or even get a sip of water. (Labs are horribly dry. you may as well be in a desert.) Just running from one stat to the next to the next. It was under this pressure that I made the mistake. The new policy is that anybody who doesn't do gram stains at least 2x/week must do a qc slide with any gram stain they do, which makes sense but also adds to the work load.

2 weeks later, the micro lead tech made the identical mistake. She has been focused on micro for decades (versus my 1 year) and does qc daily (versus my rarely). She normally does review so would have buried her own mistake in self-preservation. In this case, she happened to be out and a semi-retired tech with even more decades experience did the review. She didn't elevate the mistake since it was too late. Instead she printed it out, highlighted it and, instead of putting in the lead techs mailbox, left it on the counter by a scope so that everybody in micro for the next 3 days while the micro lead was out would see the mistake.

[Javaman]

2. Because of the history of cancer in my family...

I have to get a colonoscopy every 3 years.

This last time, it was completely covered as preventative health care.

Prior my insurance only covered about 40% of it and the rest was out of pocket (about 700 bucks)

[Dawgs]

4. Stories like yours and others will slowly change people's minds. Thanks.

[Ishoutandscream2]

5. Turned 50 this past year, had my first colonoscopy

this summer. In the paperwork that was given me, it stated that the ACA covered the procedure, but if polyp's were found or something else that needed to be treated, then it could go against my deductible. I had a "clean" bill of health, and nothing out of pocket.

Thanks, President Obama.

[ananda]

3. It forced my insurer to provide..

.. free well woman exams and mammograms.

[Nine]

6. Helped close the "donut hole."

My elderly parents are on a lot of medications. They always hit the "donut hole" by the end of the year. The donut hole is still there but at least now they only pay half of it instead of all of it.