Oregon's Pre-existing Condition

Like many Americans, I have a pre-existing condition. And as a freelancer who bought my own health insurance plan in New York City, it turns out I had it pretty good. As I reported this article for Portland Monthly, I discovered that New York is one of just a handful of states that's known as a "guaranteed issue" state: insurance companies in these states must cover residents who have pre-existing conditions, as long as they've had continuous coverage. To my dismay, in Oregon (where I recently moved) it's nearly impossible to find affordable health insurance that will cover all of me—namely the autoimmune disease I've had since college. In the story, I interview Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor at Consumer Reports Health, who told me that, if you're self-employed and searching for a good health insurance plan, which state you live in matters way more than you think it does. (Massachusetts, for example, covers everyone who is uninsured, subsidizing residents who are at 300 percent of the poverty level or less. The really poor don't pay any premium; the moderately poor can find plans that start at $39 a month.) I also spoke at length to OSPIRG's Laura Etherton, a super knowledgeable local health care advocate, and sat in on an Oregon Healthy Policy Board meeting), which gave me insight into how Oregon's plan dovetails with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (Though imperfect—for one thing, it won't require insurance companies cover adults with pre-existing conditions until 2014—Obama's legislation is worth fighting for, and I was happy to read in the Times this morning that Demoratic senators and reps are doing just that.)