OK, a simple question on Health Insurance

[n2doc]

While we are bickering about single payer plans and such, in the meantime why can't congress do the right thing and outlaw denial of insurance because of "pre-existing conditions"? Why the hell not?

[Cary]

1. It isn't as simple as that.

But I do agree with you 100% that something has to be done about this ASAP.

[n2doc]

2. I am not saying it would fix everything

There are huge problems with the way that our heath care system is run in this country. But frankly the first step, to me would be to make sure that everyone could at least get insurance. This would be a small step in that direction.

[Clevenger]

4. I'm afraid of the Feds controlling my healthcare...

...I agree that there's a health insurance problem in the US, but I'm truly afraid of the Federal Government taking over the entire healthcare system, and for one simple reason: Whoever happens to control the government would also control our healthcare. Imagine George Bush's minions calling the shots when you go to the doctor! Just something to think about.

[n2doc]

7. Didn't say that

All I said was, keep the companies from discriminating agains those with pre existing condtions. One would need to spread the risk around and I don't know how that would work.

Shrubs minions are already calling the shots. They just happen to be the CEO's of these companies. Remember Bill "Catkiller" Frist, former Seanate majority Leader? He is back at his old job as majority owner of a large HMO. At least if the whole thing were run by the Government we the people would have the option of tossing the bums out.

[baldguy]

14. I'm afraid of Republicans controlling my health care.

And they do that already. *ANY* change from the status quo will be for the better.

[Cary]

8. Like I said, it isn't that simple.

The first thing to tackle, IMHO, is the elimination of the overhead and other burdens created by managed care. If we didn't spend money on managed care right there we would free up billions of dollars that could then be used for health care, as opposed to resources devoted to denying health care.

[Warpy]

3. Outlaw pre existing conditions without making insurance mandatory?

That will jack premiums sky high while encouraging more young and healthy people to drop out.

Face it, insurance companies are there to make money and they will do it any way they can. That's why their involvement in health care can't be anything but evil.

[n2doc]

6. Why?

Why aren't premiums higher now? If it is all about making money then there is no reason why the premiums would not be higher. Isn't one reason for the multi-company approach right now that it leasds to competition.

I think these kinds of arguments are bs. No one has pointed to a study saying that premiums will skyrocket if we include everyone. They have gone up because of a lot of reasons, but really, we have been kicking folks out of the system and premiums have been skyrocketing anyway!

Frankly, the way things are going, yea, really healthy, desk jocky 20 year olds will have cheap insurance. The rest of us will have to play roulette without health coverage. But hey, those lucky 20 year olds will sure be getting a bargain...:sarcasm:

[Warpy]

9. First, consider how insurance works under ideal conditions

The pool of insured people contains both older folks with chronic conditions and younger folks at the peak of health who are more vulnerable to accidents. Everybody pays in the same, a pay as you go process with a modest profit margin for the company. It used to work that way.

Now jack those premiums up year after year and keep the insurance optional for all. Watch the young and healthy folks who are in no danger of things like COPD drop out like crazy because they are just starting out and they don't want to spend all that money on a distant "maybe."

The pool tightens and contains only the sick. The premiums have to escalate to keep the profit margin intact. They also start to cherrypick, trying to encourage the sick to drop off the rolls to make it all more attractive to the young and healthy. They also start to deny care to curtail costs.

Widening the pool by making coverage truly universal will help slightly. However, not all of us can afford those premiums and even a sliding scale won't help much. As long as profit is being sucked out of the system and as long as necessary care is denied to improve the bottom line, the system is broken.

Health care has been for profit for only the past several decades. It is not working. We need to consider a sensible alternative, like expanding Medicare.

[Rosemary2205]

5. Your best option is your state government right now.

I live in GA - a freeper state if there ever was one. And even we have managed to get the law to mandate

1. All employer paid plans must cover all pre-existing conditions.

2. All private policies must cover pre-existing if the new policy was purchased within 30 days of the old one running out.

3. Hospitals must give life sustaining care and work it out with insurance later.

4. A state appeals board - all doctors was set up to mediate between patient and insurance.

I had to use the appeals board and though I did not get what my doctor originally wanted, I got more than the insurance wanted to give. And while my recovery took just a little longer than it should have I did get the care I needed covered by insurance. -- in the end the insurance company actually cost themselves MORE money by fighting. They paid for a lesser treatment that did not work and then had to pay for the one I asked for to begin with. -- but it was the appeals board that forced them to cover me at all.

[n2doc]

10. I'm there too. State by state changes will not be easy

I guess one can move, but what if one really LIKES living in, say, Idaho or Utah??

I won't even go into the problems with the maze of in plan vs out of plan providers and the lack of Doctors who are open to even seeing you. Your story sounds pretty typical.

[SheilaT]

11. We are the only

country in the world where health care is party of employment. It's a crazy system, and stems from wage controls during or after WWII which restricted companies from raising wages, but allowed them to give benefits, such as health care. It would be interesting to learn more of why everyone else in the world wound up with a universal health coverage, financed by taxes, rather than one financed by individuals and their companies or unions.

[Orangepeel]

12. I liked John Kerry's plan. Let everybody buy insurance as if they were federal employees

Blue Cross, etc. make a profit by charging the same thing to every federal employee, regardless of age or health status. It seems to me they could make a profit if they expanded the program to include everyone.

[Connonym]

15. I liked this plan also

I don't have a problem paying for health care coverage, I just want the right to obtain health care coverage that actually covers something. I work as an independent contractor and my preexisting conditions (asthma, depression, history of high blood pressure) have made me unable to obtain personal coverage except in a state-funded high-risk insurance pool that costs $800 A MONTH for catastrophic coverage only. I don't mind paying both the employer and the employee portion of the premiums, I just want the chance to get into the system. I don't think it's unfair to ask.

[TZ]

13. pre-existing is stupid

I have a pre-existing condition. HOWEVER, when I have my meds (not overly expensive to the insurer) and get my regular doctor appointment (once every three months) I am as healthy as the next person!
If I don't have insurance and can't afford meds or doc then I end up with a stroke in the hospital with NO INSURANCE and all the taxpayers pay for that. I can't claim all pre-existing conditions are this simple but really its obvious to me that the cost of covering them is actually much lower than not covering them.:eyes: