Brian Greenberg is tough enough to complete a half Ironman triathlon — a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run. But he winces to think what would happen if insurance companies reinstated lifetime limits on coverage.
If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, he said, he will seriously consider moving to Canada or England because of his high-cost medical needs as a Crohn’s disease patient.
To date, his insurer has paid more than $845,000 for his medical care. The 33-year-old Greenberg is on track to hit what used to be a $1 million lifetime limit on his insurance policy during the next president’s administration.
Before the law, many health plans capped what they would pay for an individual’s medical care over a lifetime, typically at $1 million or $2 million. Up to 20,000 Americans each year lost their coverage because they would max out, according to a federal estimate.
Greenberg figures he will be among them if Republicans make good on their promise to undo the federal health care law.
He was 27 when the law’s ban on lifetime limits went into effect in 2010. Crohn’s disease had worn away at his digestive tract, and he had endured more than a dozen operations, including surgery to remove a portion of his colon. He later had surgery to attach an artificial opening so his body could empty waste into a disposable bag.
