Against that backdrop, the Democrats will take over the House of Representatives in January with ideas of their own. Some are pushing for an expanded role for government insurance such as Medicare for All. Though such proposals aren’t likely to pass a divided Congress, they’ll lay the groundwork for debate as Democrats vie for their party’s 2020 presidential nomination.
With a political fix as elusive as ever, large employers are signaling they are fed up with the current state of health insurance dysfunction. A three-way effort between JPMorgan Chase & Co., Amazon.com Inc. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is attempting to increase quality and deal with rising costs. Amazon and such other tech powers as Google parent Alphabet Inc. have begun to delve into pharmacy and health records. And a handful of startups are offering new ways to buy coverage and get care.
But those sorts of fixes are years away — if they ever happen. For the people we spoke with, that means more last-ditch compromises to cobble together a plan or stay healthy.
In Virginia, the Jordans’ deductible still isn’t affordable, and their bankruptcy proceeding will likely stretch into 2020. In Texas, the Maldonado family was able to buy coverage again for a college-age daughter and her mother Maribel, a cancer survivor. But, David, the father, is keeping himself off the policy for an additional year to save money. Tara Sullivan will be eligible for health coverage at a new job in Florida, starting in January.
But, at $200 a month, Sullivan doesn’t think she can afford it — so she'll remain in the ranks of Americans risking it, for yet another year.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.