Deductibles and rejected claims; where does this HCR bill stand on both?

[Lorien]

I'm self employed so I pay for my own health insurance. The most I can afford is $250 a month for coverage that doesn't start until I've paid a 12k deductible. Pretty standard for "affordable" health insurance. After that I have a 20% copay for most services.Vision and mental health care is not included. And as anyone who has watched "Sicko" knows; just because you have insurance doesn't mean that they'll ever pay for a damn thing. The Insurance companies find all kinds of creative ways of weaseling out of their end of the bargain. Does the current bill address the issues of sky high deductibles and denied care?

I heard Bernie Sanders say today "people are out there are hurting because they don't have health insurance". Though I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Sanders, I must disagree with him on this point; people are hurting because they don't have health CARE, and that includes many of the insured.

[Mimosa]

1. I'm curious too, Lorien

I hope somebody knowledgeable will weigh in.

[Lorien]

3. There's been no discussion of either in the MSM, at least from what I've

heard. Will there be a cap on deductibles? Will insurance companies be required to cover all claims without a battle? I'm guessing "no" on both counts but if someone can pleasantly surprise me, then please do. Right now I have no savings or credit and little in the way of work, so coming up with that 12k deductible is pretty much impossible. I'm no better off than most of the uninsured unless I get in a major accident or have a serious illness and can raise the money for the deductible.

[Guilded Lilly]

2. The devil in the details...

but are the details really KNOWN?

I have yet to hear anyone for the bill (the actual lawmakers) respond to the fact that though pre-existing conditions cannot be rejected, you could be thrashed with higher premiums for having one.

Would be appreciative of anyone with input as well.

[Lorien]

4. And will pre-existing conditions be COVERED?

from what I've heard those with pre-existing conditions will be eligible for insurance, but the premiums will be as high as the ins. companies wish them to be.

[eridani]

12. Yes, for whatever outrageous price they choose to charge you n/t

[Cleita]

6. The details are two for them and one for you, trust me.

That's how it will work out.

[Cleita]

5. 12K deductible?

That's highway robbery, since it's only per year. If you are reasonably healthy your deductible will never be met but you are paying into health care anyway. I really want a health care plan that, when you pay into it, when you get sick, you can go to a doctor or hospital and get treated with no deductible and no copays. Anything else is extortion and protectionism. I hope we can get beyond this eventually. Bernie did make a mistake saying that, but he is the biggest champion for access to health care. He has been beaten down, poor guy.

When they started framing this as affordable health care as contrary to access to health care and they were allowed to get away with it, we lost. Of course, we lost further when the doctors and advocates for the type of health care we need were systematically locked out of committee meetings and even arrested. Welcome to the Corporate States of America.

[Lorien]

7. Did they ever frame it as "affordable health care" or just "affordable

insurance"? There's a world of difference between the two.

[Cleita]

8. The affordable, regardless of the noun, puts it in the

area of commerce. We need it to be framed as a human right or access to needs, in this case health care.

[Lorien]

9. Still no answers

which does NOT bode well!

[Cleita]

10. There are no answers right now. Even the bill is in a state of flux so no

one really knows what is still in it or has been added or deleted. There are still closed door meetings going on. Maybe tomorrow one of the senators will emerge and tell what he knows. :shrug:

[eridani]

11. No it does not

Plans like yours are grandfathered in, even though exchange plans (not available until 2014) would limit the deductible to $5000. They can deny care on any whim they can come up with, just as they do now.

[Lorien]

13. Thanks for the information! So obviously all of those of us who are self

employed (small businesses) will have just as difficult a time getting access to health care if the bill passes...and I suspect everyone who is without insurance now but will be MANDATED by law to purchase this crap product will have as much luck as I have in getting anything covered. It's like mandating that everyone buy a car, but the poor can only afford a car that doesn't run-or needs 12k sunk into it before the engine starts up.

[Laelth]

14. Exactly. This bill is worse than doing nothing. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[Lorien]

15. "The insurance industry profits excalation act of 2009". nt

[Laelth]

16. Paid for by a huge, new, back-door tax on the uninsured.

It's outrageous, and it's colossally stupid. The electorate will severely punish the Democratic arty (and rightly so) if we pass this bill into law.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Lorien]

17. They seem to think that the electorate won't notice

or that those who will will be so busy working an extra shift to survive that they won't bother voting.