Need help explaining the health care law

[Ms. Toad]

25. You won't get any argument from me that the bill still leaves far too many people

without access to health care. I know way too much, way too personally.

But the ACA does dramatically change thing for a lot of people, including my own family. My daughter now has the ability to continue her education because she can go to school part time (all her health allows) because she no longer has to be in school full time to stay on my plan. She is that disabled child in the article, except that I have an employer who provides insurance. Her care costs ~$50,000 every year, and in the year she needs a transplant it will cost between half and 3/4 of a million dollars. And, in 2014, she will almost certainly receive health insurance for free because of the ACA.

Short term insurance is not limited to hospital coverage - so it would cover chemo and radiation, not just the hospital stay. Depending on what you purchase, it covers all medical care once (likely with some copays) after you hit your deductible, and 100% after you hit your out of pocket maximum. Just like any other insurance policy. I used them during a period when no one would insure me, just to make sure that a medical catastrophe did not wipe us out. Here's one website which is pretty easy to navigate if you are looking for stop-gap options: http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/short-term-health-insurance

I'm not trying to convince you the system is perfect. It isn't even good. But there are some options available now , and there will be more options available under ACA for more people with pre-existing conditions than there have been anytime in my lifetime, (and will be far more in 2014).