wouldn't, or at least wouldn't unless there's a better way to reduce the
vast number of uninsured Americans. Others say patience is the key.
"It's a work in progress," says Charlene Conilogue, administrator of the
(Pocatello) Idaho SurgiCenter. "Anything's that's put into law usually has
to be tweaked over a number of years for it to become what it needs to
be to benefit people."
Despite strong and often adversarial views, 2 refrains are common
to both proponents and opponents. The first is that deductibles and
co-pays associated with the ACA are so high that many of the newly
insured are still failing to get the care they need.
"When people come for a procedure, we have to take them into the
business office and explain that there's $3,000 or $1,500 they need to
pay up front," says Jeffrey Purtle Sr., CRNA, who practices at Bob
Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital in Ulysses, Kan. "We've had
at least 20 cancellations since the first of the year for that reason.
People can't come up with the money."
"I look at it as a bait-and-switch," says Glenn N. Pomerance, MD,
president and medical director of Pomerance Eye Center in
Chattanooga, Tenn. "They made the insurance available to the patient,
but they made it impossible to use. Patients have to pay the first
$2,500, $3,500 — I've heard as much as $6,000 — before the insurance
kicks in. That's a lot of money."
Additionally, the fact that patients take out
policies is no guarantee that they'll keep paying
their premiums, says Nancy Nicoll O'Neill,
administrator of Gastrointestinal
Healthcare in Raleigh, N.C. That, she says, can
leave providers holding the bag.
"We have to be very diligent about checking," she says. "The
insurance company will tell you if the premium hasn't been paid
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