I'm watching Wendell Potter on Countdown. He and Keith, who have both been heroes in this fight, are talking about how the Senate bill will charge people with preexisting conditions "up to 50 percent more" for insurance.
By itself, it seems insane. 50 percent more! But I wish they had mentioned that the status quo doesn't allow people with preexisting conditions to have any insurance at all, and to, you know, die without it. And if people with preexisting conditions manage to get insurance in the current system, how much more can they expect to pay in premiums? Co-pays? Co-insurance? Deductibles? 150 percent more? 300 percent more? What are their annual benefit caps? Their lifetime caps?
This bill is flawed, but to throw out numbers like "50 percent more" without the context of the status quo seems misleading to me.