Socialized Medicine Approved... what now?

[SuperPsyze]

Agree or disagree, health care is changing. My question is... what do we do now? I have a friend with preexisting conditions and needs to go see a doctor, and is unable to go to work because of the condition (he's currently living on his inheritance from his mother when she passed away from cancer). When is all this change going to take effect? What should he be doing so that he can finally go to see a doctor?

 

[justapixel]

What should he be doing so that he can finally go to see a doctor?

He should go to the doctor and spend some of the inheritance on his health.

 

[Zu-Mendel]

And if he wasn't lucky enough to have that inheritance in the first place?

 

[chuck10x]

The health care reform takes full effect in 2014, But even then your friend will more than likely be given MEDICAID.
What he can do now is call the local Hospital,explain his circumstances and they should be able to help him out.

 

[justapixel]

explain his circumstances

Caller: I have money.
Doctor: Come right in.

 

[HawaiiBum]

IMO - If he has a serious life threating condition, he needs to seek medical attention. It does not matter if he wants to pay or can not pay. He should not be messing around with his health.

If his preexisting conditions are not life threating, then he can wait until the "Temporary high-risk pool" insurance is made available. The high-risk pool should be available 90 days after March 23, 2010.

http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/finalhcr.pdf
Temporary high-risk pool -
Establish a temporary national high-risk pool to provide health coverage to individuals with pre-existing medical conditions. U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who have a pre-existing medical condition and who have been uninsured for at least six months will be eligible to enroll in the high-risk pool and receive subsidized premiums. Premiums for the pool will be established for a standard population and may vary by no more than 4 to 1 due to age; maximum cost-sharing will be limited to the current law HSA limit ($5,950/individual and $11,900/family in 2010). Appropriate $5 billion to finance the program.
(Effective within 90 days of enactment until January 1, 2014)

 

[LoveIsNow]

Sadly, we didn't get socialized medicine. We got a fascist system where we are strong-armed into buying insurance from private companies.

But, yeah. I think the person above's source is reputable.