ObamaCare’s Golden Sickness Rule

Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of sickness.

Susan Sontag (1933-2004), Illness as Metaphor

ObamaCare is growing sicker because of one of its golden rules; One shalt not exclude those with pre-existing conditions from insurance.  

This rule is compassionate, but it has financial consequences

The most common pre-existing conditions are hypertension, coronary artery disease, and diabetes, which together  eventually account for many, if not most deaths from myocardial infarction, heart failiure, stroke, and kidney failure

A Blue Cross report indicates 25% of those signing up for health exchanges are more likely to have hypertension, 32% are more likely to have coronary disease,  94% are more likely to have diabetes,  and a whopping 72% are older than 34 when those with these pre-existing conditions are more likely to develop chronic  diseases with high morbidities and co-morbidities.

The golden rule protecting those with pre-existing conditions  has turned into a demographic time bomb – leading to high premiums and deductibles for the well and to billions of dollars in bailouts for insurers.

For the government  there is no easy choice – either one  takes a deep breath,     coughs up the money, deepens the federal deficit,  bails out insurers,  or changes the rule.   It’s a cruel choice,  and there is no middle road. 

We live in the kingdom of  reality – and in the kingdom of the middle class of the sick and the well,  there is resistance to ObamaCare’s golden rule because it costs them dearly.    As George Bernard Shaw said in Maxims of Revolutionists,  “ the golden  rule is that there are no golden rules.”

Rules are made to be broken,  and this particular rule might be broken if ObamaCare is repealed .