I’m perplexed by the opening paragraph of a New York Times Op-Ed piece about the Affordable Care Act by psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb. It rants about the small percentage of Americans who will have their policies changed so that tens of millions can gain coverage. That’s a fair discussion, but it’s conducted strangely in this piece because Gottlieb is upset that she’s paying more for coverage of “Stage 4 cancer” that can’t be terminated or a potential “sex-change operation.” I’m not going to venture into a mental-health professional being angered by others needing sexual-reassignment surgery, but how can Gottlieb possibly think it’s bad that no one can cancel her policy if someone in her family gets cancer? And how can she believe it’s as unlikely an outcome for her or her loved ones as wanting a sex-change operation? Odd. The opening:

“LOS ANGELES — THE Anthem Blue Cross representative who answered my call told me that there was a silver lining in the cancellation of my individual P.P.O. policy and the $5,400 annual increase that I would have to pay for the Affordable Care Act-compliant option: now if I have Stage 4 cancer or need a sex-change operation, I’d be covered regardless of pre-existing conditions. Never mind that the new provider network would eliminate coverage for my and my son’s long-term doctors and hospitals.”