Himmelstein continued: "Under the ACA a 56-year-old making $46,100 will pay a premium of $10,585 for coverage through the exchange and still face up to $6,250 in co-payments and deductibles."
Dr. Woolhandler, the lead author of the editorial who is also a physician and professor of public health at CUNY, said: "Over the past 25 years the financial protection offered by health insurance has steadily eroded. The consequences are grave, not only financially but also medically. For instance, we know that heart attack patients who face high co-payments delay coming to the ER, threatening their lives."
Woolhandler and Himmelstein (who also serve as visiting professors at Harvard Medical School) were co-authors with Elizabeth Warren of a widely cited study that showed that illness and medical bills contribute to 62 percent of personal bankruptcies; most of the medically bankrupt were insured. Sen. Warren played no role in the JGIM editorial.
"Obamacare is making underinsurance the new normal," said Woolhandler. "It will reduce the number of uninsured from 50 million to 30 million, but the new coverage is full of holes. Americans deserve the kind of first-dollar, comprehensive coverage that Canadians already have. But that's only affordable under a single-payer system that cuts out the private insurance middlemen."
"Life or Debt: Underinsurance in America," Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H., and David U. Himmelstein, M.D. Journal of General Internal Medicine, approved for publication on April 25, 2013. The text of the article is available here .
The related article:
"Prevalence and Predictors of Underinsurance Among Low-Income Adults," Hema Magge, M.D., M.S., Howard J. Cabral, M.P.H., Ph.D., Lewis E. Kazis, Sc.D., and Benjamin D. Sommers, M.D., Ph.D. Journal of General Internal Medicine, published online Feb. 1, 2013.
Physicians for a National Health Program ( www.pnhp.org ) is a nonprofit research and education organization of more than 18,000 doctors who advocate for single-payer national health insurance. PNHP had no role in funding or otherwise supporting the study described above. To speak with a physician/spokesperson in your area, visit www.pnhp.org/stateactions or call (312) 782-6006 .
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