Think Twice About The Tea Parties

The health care bill has passed.  For that matter, the health care bill passed, was effectively castrated, and passed again.  There are uproars and...tea parties.  The ironically named "tea parties" (for who can imagine something so completely counter to the conservative, polite discourse that occurs at most tea parties?) are being held in protest.

To what? Well, to be honest, I am not entirely sure.  Taxes increasing to pay for it? (Do they all live in DC where you really do have taxation without representation?) Illegal immigrants with no current coverage will suddenly have access to doctors, thus decreasing the availability of those doctors for citizens? (No, seriously, I heard that one.  The lack of basic humanity that must exist to say something so egregious with a straight face...)  I do, however, know one thing for certain: there are at least 1 out of approximately every 133 people in the U.S. who should be thanking whatever higher power they believe in that this health care reform has passed.  That's right, celiacs.  I'm talking to you.

Health insurance companies used to be able to refuse to cover pre-existing conditions if an insured had allowed their previous insurance to lapse for any significant amount of time.  Now, there is a provision in the law that disallows insurance companies from refusing coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Celiac disease "presents" with a myriad of symptoms and its impact--if untreated--can be catastrophic on several systems.  Anything from gas to severe depression can be clinically linked to celiac.  It has been shown to lead to other autoimmune diseases and even cancers.  Make no mistake, it is a serious disease.  And it has been gaining in prevalence and diagnosis.  Presumably, health insurance companies are becoming aware of its far reaching tentacles.

Now imagine--under the old health insurance regime--that you lose your job and your insurance.  Your cobra coverage expires.  Six months later, you get a new job and--thankfully--new insurance.  You fill out the paperwork, noting the existence of celiac.  To the extent you think about it, you think that your celiac is being treated as much as is possible by your adherence to a gluten-free diet.  But wait.  You're having some difficulty dealing with the financial stress of being out of a job for so long.  You want to see a doctor for depression, but your coverage is denied: depression is a symptom of celiac, a pre-existing condition.  Your back is hurting.  You want to get chiropractic treatment, but your coverage is denied: back pain is a symptom of celiac, your pre-existing condition.  You break your arm and the doctors discover you have osteoporosis.  Coverage for the treatment is denied: brittle bones are a side-effect of celiac, the condition that has effectively eliminated any security you may have felt from having insurance.

This concern, which I became aware of when my husband recently switched jobs, no longer exists.  While the above are all hypothetical--I am as yet unaware of any real instance where someone was denied coverage for a celiac disease related incident--it is not difficult to imagine that the industry that denied insurance to a fat baby would make those not-so-attenuated arguments.

So.  For all of you celiacs out there...avoid the Tea Parties.  I don't think they can accommodate a gluten-free diet.