President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the Affordable Care Act during a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House, Oct. 21, 2013.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Editor’s note: Last Monday, President Obama explained that thousands of Americans are signing up for affordable, high quality health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Karmel Allison, who stood behind the President that day, had never before been able to shop for health insurance without fear of being rejected because of her medical history. Below, read about Karmel’s experience, in her own words.
I do not have a pre-existing condition. But I have a pre-existing condition in-waiting that has caused me to live in fear for years.
A pre-existing condition. What does that mean, anyways? I am a type 1 diabetic, but that diagnosis certainly does not pre-exist me. No– pre-existing is not a medical condition; it is a legal one. Before the health insurance marketplace opened in my state, if I were to seek health insurance, my type 1 diabetes would be a pre-existing condition, and sufficient reason for most insurance companies to shut the door in my face.
Through the delicate pairing of my parents' prudence and protocol at my health insurance company, I am lucky enough not to have a pre-existing condition. I was covered by a health insurance plan before I was diagnosed, and when I left my parents' plan at the age of nineteen, I was able to convert my existing coverage to an individual plan as if I had been continuously covered by the same plan.
Fonte: White House