Editor’s note: This article initially stated that U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, did not comment on the Davert family’s case. In fact, Rep. Kildee has been in contact with the Davert family multiple times over the past three months and plans on meeting with them on Jan. 21.
The Affordable Care Act is proving to be not very affordable for the Davert family in Michigan. All four members have serious health issues, and after Obamacare’s implementation, the family will pay $8,000 more per year for medical coverage. Blue Cross puts the blame squarely on the Affordable Care Act.
Melissa Davert and her two children suffer from osteogensis imperfecta, a disease that makes their bones extremely fragile. Ken Davert has cerebral palsy. Regardless, they must now find a way to deal with the financial burden placed upon them by recent changes in the health care market.
“We received a letter from Blue Cross maybe four months ago stating that [our Blue Cross] plan was going to be canceled due to new requirements of Obamacare,” Mrs. Davert told the Bay City Times.
After the cancellation, the Davert family began the process for signing up for Obamacare. “The first time they did so, their application was lost after they sent it, and the second time, they were denied,” the Times reported. “They then filed a written appeal in mid-January, which could take up to 90 days for a response.”
“What we did in the meantime, because [the children’s] insurance was ending Dec. 31, we had to go out and buy a separate plan directly through Blue Cross/Blue Shield,” Mrs. Davert said. “The president had come on TV and said, ’If you like your plan, you can keep your plan, we won’t require you to get marketplace insurance for another year.’ But Blue Cross/Blue Shield would not continue their plan, despite what the president said.”
SEE ALSO: Obamacare fallout: Millions face sticker shock following insurance cancellations
A Blue Cross Gold Plan the Davert family purchased for their children is quadruple the cost of their previous package, the Times said. The adults are covered by a combination of Social Security disability payments and insurance through Medicare.
“The premiums aren’t an issue for us,” Ms. Davert told the Times. “The premiums under both plans are essentially the same. What could be costly for us are the out-of-pocket expenses. In our old plan, the most we would pay was $2,500 combined out-of-pocket per year. With the very best plan we could get them under Blue Cross, we have a $5,100 out-of-pocket maximum for each child for a total of $10,200. That’s an incredible amount to absorb.”
“We knew this was coming, but we trusted the president when he said, ’If you like it, you can keep it,’ ” Mr. Davert said the report. “That wasn’t the case. We liked our plan, we weren’t planning on changing it, but we were forced to.”
The Bay City Times reached out to the offices of Democratic Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, but was unable to receive comment on the record for the story. The newspaper also did not receive comments from a spokesman for Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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