Devastating refusal

For the past three years, Americans have faced obstacles to enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans - obstacles deliberately erected by the Trump administration. As a result, the number of Americans who are living without health insurance has risen to 28 million. Now, despite a pandemic with the potential to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans and sicken millions more, Trump has chosen to not reopen the exchanges for a special enrollment period. The consequences of his decision will be devastating.

While some will be able to enroll because of the loss of a job or other qualifying event, many Americans will be buried under the full weight of medical bills related to COVID-19. Bankruptcies resulting from this overwhelming health care debt will be a devastating second wave of the pandemic.

The millions of uninsured who hesitate to get tested because they can't afford to be treated will put more of us at risk of infection. Those who put off seeking care until they are critically ill make their prospects for recovery worse while adding still greater demands on our terribly strained health care infrastructure. And the uncompensated care will, in turn, put the financial viability of hospitals and health care systems, both public and private, in severe jeopardy.

Even without a special enrollment period, there is no doubt that the pandemic will leave health insurers facing claims far larger than the industry anticipated. The consequences of this - for the viability of insurers and the potential of skyrocketing premiums - will require a response at both the state and federal levels in the coming months.

However, with the threat that we face today and in the weeks and months ahead, it is critically important that as many of our uninsured as possible get the health care they need without the fear of financial devastation.

Open the exchanges now.

Maggie Trevor

Rolling Meadows