New Orleans   Incredibly after all of the promises of a better healthcare program, all the President wants now is a sale, no matter how shoddy the merchandise. This is the short con. Meeting with the so-called Freedom Caucus, he agreed to get rid of the Affordable Care Act’s “essential health benefits” guaranteed to everyone as part of the basic health plan regardless of cost. This doesn’t include the caps on senior pay, the ability to cover children under parents policies until 26, or the waivers for pre-existing benefits all of which this bill is also giving away or the fact that his concession bargaining has now lowered the supposed savings by more than half.

Regardless, let’s just review the ten essential benefits that all Americans stand to lose as a reminder of why this entire package should be dead-on-arrival to the Senate, if it ever makes it there.

The Affordable Care Act’s Ten Essential health benefits include:

• Ambulatory patient services (Outpatient care). Care you receive without being admitted to a hospital, such as at a doctor’s office, clinic or same-day (“outpatient”) surgery center. Also included in this category are home health services and hospice care.
• Emergency Services (Trips to the emergency room). Care you receive for conditions that could lead to serious disability or death if not immediately treated, such as accidents or sudden illness. Typically, this is a trip to the emergency room and includes transport by ambulance. You cannot be penalized for going out-of-network or for not having prior authorization.
• Hospitalization (Treatment in the hospital for inpatient care). Care you receive as a hospital patient, including care from doctors, nurses and other hospital staff, laboratory and other tests, medications you receive during your hospital stay, and room and board. Hospitalization coverage also includes surgeries, transplants and care received in a skilled nursing facility, such as a nursing home that specializes in the care of the elderly.
• Maternity and newborn care. Care that women receive during pregnancy (prenatal care), throughout labor, delivery, and post-delivery, and care for newborn babies.
  Mental health services and addiction treatment. Inpatient and outpatient care provided to evaluate, diagnose and treat a mental health condition or substance abuse disorder. This includes behavioral health treatment, counseling, and psychotherapy.
• Prescription drugs. Medications that are prescribed by a doctor to treat an illness or condition. At least one prescription drug must be covered for each category and classification of federally approved drugs.
• Rehabilitative services and devices – Rehabilitative services (help recovering skills, like speech therapy after a stroke) and habilitative services (help developing skills, like speech therapy for children) and devices to help you gain or recover mental and physical skills lost to injury, disability or a chronic condition (this also includes devices needed for “habilitative reasons”). Plans have to provide 30 visits each year for either physical or occupational therapy, or visits to the chiropractor. Plans must also cover 30 visits for speech therapy as well as 30 visits for cardiac or pulmonary rehab.
  Laboratory services. Testing provided to help a doctor diagnose an injury, illness or condition, or to monitor the effectiveness of a particular treatment. Some preventive screenings, such as breast cancer screenings and prostrate exams, are provided free of charge.
• Preventive services, wellness services, and chronic disease treatment. This includes counseling, preventive care, such as physicals, immunizations, and screenings, like cancer screenings, designed to prevent or detect certain medical conditions. Also, care for chronic conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.
• Pediatric services. Care provided to infants and children, including well-child visits and recommended vaccines and immunizations. Dental and vision care must be offered to children younger than 19. This includes two routine dental exams, an eye exam and corrective lenses each year.

Read and weep. Listen and pick up the phone and call Washington. Now!

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Please enjoy Blondie’s Long Time.

Thanks to KABF.