By the way, I just want to point out, society is not going to pay any more for my medicine than it was already paying, before the legislation passed. I am not looking for a handout or charity. It has long been the case in the U.S. that people with bleeding disorders always get their medicine, one way or another. In the previous system, as long as I can get my hands on coverage, and as long as I pay my (expensive, but not ruinous) premiums, the insurance company ends up covering about 99% of the cost of my medicine. Now, if I had any gap in coverage, then I would have a "pre existing condition" and then I might have to sell everything I own and devote all my income to paying my medicine, in order to qualify for Medicaid or some other program. But in that case, I STILL would only be able to pay maybe 8% of the cost, it would pay for my medicine for about 30 days, Medicaid would have to pick it up from then on, and that situation would only last for up to two years, after which the "pre existing condition" would be reset and I could no longer be denied private insurance (if it's available). So, under the old system, I incur the risk and stress of possibly being utterly ruined financially, and society saves a few negligible bucks and basically loses an otherwise productive member of society (and handsome, I might add
). And, I emphasize, the same thing could happen to you if your child is born with a disorder.
Under the new system, I don't risk financial ruin and the only conceivable "cost" to society is that it won't be relieved of its meager burden to pay my medicine for about 30 days out of my whole life. And, people have piece of mind that if THEIR child is born with a disorder, they will get coverage in return for paying their taxes and their insurance.
That's the deal. I think it's not only humane, but smart, especially when we're saving money.