These dogs will have better insurance than 18 million Americans if Obamacare is repealed
In their very first month in office, Congressional Republicans have been busy chipping away at the law that gave 20 million Americans health insurance, then replacing it with their brand-new vision: [blank].
Sure, there are a few wonky replacement plans floating around, but nearly all put the most vulnerable Americans at risk. By choosing to repeal the Affordable Care Act and come up with a replacement plan later, Republicans risk losing anxious insurers from the market, effectively killing the exchange. The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that 18.2 million Americans would lose their insurance if the Republicans didn't come up with a comprehensive replacement plan, leaving millions sick, bankrupt or worse.
In this scenario, many American dogs would actually have better insurance than their human owners. That's just a fact.
Pet insurance has long been a joke in the insurance community (admittedly, not a community known for its humor). But over the past few years, newer, more comprehensive plans have emerged that provide more care at a lower cost. While just 4 percent of all American pets have insurance, Rob Jackson of Healthy Paws told Mashable, demand for pet insurance is growing -- just as human insurance has never been more at risk.
To examine the hypothesis, we took at look at how these four types of dogs would fare under two of the most popular plans, Healthy Paws and ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, and compare it to how humans would fare if Obamacare was repealed.
Case 1: Schmoopy, a 5-year-old purebred who, after enrolling in Healthy Paws, gets cancer
Monthly premiums: $38.57 (with 70 percent reimbursement)
Annual deductible: $500
Services provided: Unlimited cancer coverage, including prescription medications, emergency care and hospitalization.
Pet insurance plans don't cover pre-existing conditions. Owners who do, however, choose to enroll their pets early in life benefit financially if their pet develops a serious illness later in life. Pet owners will often claim that they'd rather put their pet to sleep than pay for expensive treatment, only to reverse course once the dog has aged and they've bonded with their pet, leaving them with thousands of dollars in medical bills.
"You don’t have any idea when something is going to happen," Jackson told Mashable.
Not only will Schmoopy be provided with unlimited coverage, she'll also be able to use any vet she wants, anywhere, and be covered. Premium costs and deductibles do vary, however, by ZIP code.
Now imagine that Schmoopy were a human previously covered by ACA. Were the act to be repealed, she will be forced to enter the individual market. Individual market premiums ran people on average anywhere from $375 to more than $415 a month in the pre-ACA era, and those are just pre-inflation prices. And that's assuming Schmoopy could afford to enter the individual market, and wasn't one of the estimated 9 million covered by the Medicaid expansion.
Schmoopy: 1, Human: 0
Case 2: A 9-year-old purebred named Booger with heart disease
Both humans and dogs would either risk bankruptcy or death in this scenario. Because of low nationwide enrollments, no major pet health insurance plan accepts animals with pre-existing conditions.
Thanks to Obamacare, insurers were blocked from denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions like asthma, diabetes or cancer. On Jan 11, Republicans in Congress executed their first step to repealing the Affordable Care Act, successfully blocking an amendment that would protect people with pre-existing conditions.
Unlike human insurance, however, pet insurance isn't subject to the whims of Congress. If you enroll your pet before it develops a condition, it'll be safe. Humans, however, who have major illnesses and who lose their Obamacare will have nowhere to go. American citizens are sadly not afforded the same opportunity as some random dog named Booger.
Booger: .5, Human: 0
Case 3: A 4-year-old mutt, Weenie, who enrolls in ASPCA Pet Health Insurance and gets hit by a car
Monthly premiums: $30.79 per month, with 90 percent reimbursement
Deductible: $250 annually
Reimbursement: Up to $5,000 per year
If Weenie were to enroll in ASPCA Pet Health Insurance prior to getting hit by a car, she'd be in good shape (for a pug mix). Her insurance would cover up to $5,000 of costs, and other problems that may develop (dental disease, accidents) would also be covered.
The same can't be said of Weenie the human who loses her insurance because of the repeal and can't afford marketplace premiums that were actually -- despite dire warnings -- held down during the Obama presidency.
Case 4: Margarita, a 4-year-old mixed breed from Florida who joins Healthy Paws insurance and develops an irritating skin condition
Monthly premium: $17.78
Deductible: $500 annually
Reimbursement: Unlimited
Assuming Margaritas's skin condition was not pre-existing, she's in for some great care and Eucerin cream. Note that her rate was calculated for Orange Park, Florida, and varies by ZIP code.
Let's say Margarita's owner were to lose her Obamacare if the act were to be repealed. She'd have to either enter the marketplace (see above) or quit her job so she could possibly receive Medicaid.
Margarita: 1: Human: 0
Of course, there are notable exceptions to both pet insurance plans. Healthy Paws does not cover preventative exam fees. ASPCA ends insurance enrollment at 13-years-old for dogs. Neither cover pre-existing conditions. And while pet insurance plans are notably more affordable than human insurance plans, they are still an expense (just how much do you want to spend on your parrot's life?).
Still, it's alarming, if not downright tragic, to think that these dogs ...
... would have better insurance than humans, all thanks thanks to this man.
Help.
Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
