With bated breath

Rose Woodhouse 3 Comments

As Burt notes over in Not a Potted Plant, we will know the fate of ObamaCare on Monday.

This is the first time I’ve ever had a personal stake in a Supreme Court decision. I mean, I suppose we were all pretty immediately affected by Bush v. Gore, but it didn’t directly alter any of my life decisions. There are probably many others who will be more immediately affected.

One of my kids has one hell of a pre-existing condition. For now, he cannot be denied insurance coverage due to a pre-existing condition. If the individual mandate is overturned, as it appears it will be, then the fate of this particular tenet is unclear. I tend to be optimistic that, even if it is tossed out with the individual mandate, that Republican will be more motivated to re-instate it than any other provision of ObamaCare. Or maybe not.

My husband and I are due to go on the academic job market this fall. We each have a significantly lower than 50% chance of getting a tenure track job. Due to our kid’s health, we must insist on a major metropolitan area with significant resources devoted to special education and good medical care. If neither of us get one of those jobs, starting a business or freelance writing would be other possible options. If there is no mandated coverage for pre-existing conditions in children, we can’t work for ourselves or for a small business. We will have to find a job at a reasonably large concern. (It strikes me with some irony that a leftish law would be what permits us to be entrepreneurial.)

We’re far from being rendered bankrupt or tossed out on the street. But Monday’s decision significantly alters our life plans. Fingers crossed.

Rose Woodhouse

Elizabeth Picciuto was born and reared on Long Island, and, as was the custom for the time and place, got a PhD in philosophy. She freelances, mainly about disability, but once in a while about yeti. Mother to three children, one of whom is disabled, two of whom have brown eyes, three of whom are reasonable cute, you do not want to get her started talking about gardening.

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3 Comments

  1. I have my own reasons for supporting the ACA and for hoping it is (or the important parts are) sustained. I wish you good luck and hope for the best.

  2. I have the same shaped boat over here, too. They surely could have sold this same law as the “Entrepreneur’s Freedom Act” so much more easily.

    It must be awesome when healthcare policy is just another opportunity for ideological navel staring contests and internet noodling.

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