PA advocates want single payer; 'Obamacare' doesn't go far enough [View all]

[eridani]

http://www.pnhp.org/print/news/2013/january/pa-advocates-want-single-payer-obamacare-doesnt-go-far-enough

But about five years ago, things changed. Goulden was diagnosed with chronic liver disease and as he watched his insurance premiums skyrocket, he said he realized why he had never before had a problem with the company - he had never been sick.

"They pushed me out," Goulden said. "I faced the possibility of losing everything I had worked for."

Now a member of the local organization, Adams Hanover Health Care 4 All PA, Goulden works to share his story with others and to push Pennsylvania past President Obama's Affordable Care Act toward what the group believes are even stronger health-care reforms.

After his diagnosis, Goulden said, he quickly recognized the need for sweeping changes. His insurance premiums rose from $300 to $3,100 a month. As the company continued to raise its prices, Goulden said, it simultaneously tried to drop his policy.

Later, he said, the insurance company demanded he submit his federal tax returns to prove that he had a legitimate business.

"The tax returns show how much money I make, so they could use that information to know how much they could charge me in order to push me out," Goulden said. " I called legislators and asked, 'How can they possibly do this?' And I found out that they can. There is no regulation about what they can require you to submit."

So before long Goulden was forced to drop his policy and go without insurance, despite his critical medical condition.