Brane Space: Trumpies Want To Make Post-Covid Symptoms "Pre-existing Conditions" As They Try To Get The Court To Scrap The ACA

At risk Covid patients (From WSJ, today, p. A14)

"The president showed off his sociopathic flair by demanding the repeal of Obamacare — just because he can’t stand that it was done by Barack Obama. Millions losing their jobs and insurance during a plague and he wants to eliminate their alternative? Willful maliciousness.
And this at the same time he has been ensuring more infections by lowballing the virus." Maureen Dowd, NY Times, Sunday

"Turns out even people in Oklahoma really want health care. They still voted for Medicaid expansion through Obamacare despite scare mongering that if they did vote for it roads and bridges as well as public safety and education funding would be at risk. Oh, and 'AOC' will send her radicals to 'control Oklahoma's health care'. Didn't work! Oklahomans statewide still voted to expand Medicaid to a few hundred thousand people'" Rachel Maddow, last night on MSNBC

"If Donald Trump has his way those who have complications from Covid 19 could see them become the new pre-existing conditions. Some survivors have experienced lasting health impacts like lung scarring and heart damage. If Trump prevails in court insurers would be allowed to strip away coverage or jack up premiums simply for the battle they survived.fighting ccoronavirus. So these victims would now have their peace of mind stolen after needing it the most." - Joe Biden, speaking about the effects of Trump's effort to repeal the ACA

If it didn't actually happen, few would have believed it. Barely 10 days ago, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn the entirety of the Affordable Care Act. This is incredibly stupid and dangerous. Not only do 23 million Americans get their healthcare coverage through the ACA, nearly half a million Americans have enrolled in Obamacare after losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from that nearly half a million others may be suffering from residual symptoms in a post-Covid recovery that the Trumpies now want to declare a new pre-existing condition. A point brought home with force on Rachel Maddow last night.

To expedite this perfidy Trump filed a brief with the Supreme Court to challenge the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This would transpire when the court hears the case this fall. Just before the election. In a pandemic. How about timing? To see this as an actual Trump move, god knows why, you'd think the man has a permanent wish for political suicide. How else explain it when we're still in the midst of a pandemic and over 30 million are set to see their unemployment insurance added benefit expire at the end of the month, and 18 million more see their moratorium on evictions go in three weeks.

Yes, folks, this is the government we have, a band of criminals, vipers and grifting predators whose only objective is to let citizens die (including military picked off by Taliban compliments of Russkie bounties) as they line their own pockets. How else explain the fact the Repukes and their Fuhrer Dotard have no intention of helping 50 million people who now stand to lose their healthcare because of so many getting laid off and furloughed (WSJ, June 27-28, p. C4) and losing their employer-linked health coverage. Worse, Trump and his gangsters (including Republican governors across the country are literally petitioning the Supreme Court to knock down Obamacare which will effectively gut the health care of 27 million who now depend on it. This happened on the same day we learned of a half million new signups for Obamacare, clearly because the fear of Covid illness is now real and too many can no longer get coverage under their employers.

But these new entries may be in for a shock. This is given the brief filed by the Trump administration in concert 18 Republican state governors specifically asks the Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare, also arguing the Affordable Care Act's rules for pre-existing conditions must be overturned as well.

According to Rachel Maddow last night:

"Dig into this a little bit. A lot of people have gotten sick from coronavirus which has left them with conditions they may be dealing with for the rest of their lives. So coronavirus infections are poised to become the next pre-existing conditions. And if the Trump administration has its way pre-existing conditions will be used to deny you health insurance. ...

Remember Obamacare was the way we made sure that anyone with preexisting conditions could still get health care. Now think of all the Americans that will get Covid 19 and survive it. It's just staggering. If we have 100,000 new cases a day, as Dr. Fauci warns we could, that means tens of millions of infected Americans who may not be able to get healthcare, not now, not ever. Literally tens of millions of us may have new preexisting conditions now thanks to the other catastrophic, almost existential failure of this administration which is an absolutely, out of control coronavirus pandemic that is infecting 50,000 of us a day now."

Indeed, many long term symptoms are in dispute by the medical community. As noted in a WSJ piece today (p. A14, 'Patients Struggle With Long Term Covid Symptoms')

"The lack of certainty around causes and even symptoms has created challenges for people suffering from longer term effect. In interviews with more than 20 long haul patients ranging in age from 22 to 62 years old, a portrait emerged of patients struggling with wife-ranging symptoms. For some it comes in waves, for others it's constant. Some say they are slowly getting better while others add new symptoms ever week."

The latter group would definitely find themselves in a world of hurt (physical, mental and financial) if Trump and his cabal succeed in their nefarious plans to destroy the ACA. In effect, the country would revert right back to pre-ACA days. Begging the question: What form of health care, if any, would Covid survivors with residual symptoms be left with? Well, that would largely be in short term, high deductible mutations of Obamacare invented by the Trumpies and Repuke tight-fisted allies. The same degenerates who have no intention of extending any stimulus for the tens of millions still struggling and now on the cusp of being evicted from homes and losing their unemployment bonuses that kept heads just above water.

These short term plans (WSJ, 'Gaps Found With Short Term Health Plans', June 26, p. A4) are literal disaster and presage what's in store if the Supremes bend to the will of Der Fuhrer and his minions. Specifically:

"Numerous examples were found of patients who were denied coverage for treatment and were left on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Worse (ibid.):

"Coverage limitations vary widely from plan to plan and limits are not made clear in marketing materials. This makes it extremely difficult for consumers to understand what they are purchasing."

What can those now under the gun do? There is no question: Focus singly on getting Trump out of office in November! Do not lose focus over distractions or refuse pumped out about Joe Biden's gaffes or other short comings. Never mind! No Biden shortcoming or gaffe can compare to Trump's continued brain farts, authoritarian delusions and treason. Keep eyes on the ball and ensure this orange fungal growth doesn't see the daylight in the Oval Office after Jan. 20 next year!

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