Debunking Health Care Reform Myths In The 11th Hour

[Omaha Steve]

http://inventorspot.com/articles/debunking_health_care_reform_myths_11th_hour_39063

by Ron Callari

While this blog was written one day prior to a watered version of the health care reform act moving to its final vote, there are still many in the U.S. who continue to wade through the misconceptions. Far from following the health care models of other countries and after over fifty years of fighting for some form of reform, if you're a 'dummy' like me, you may still not be as knowledgeable as you'd like regarding this revolutionary new legislation. However when dealing with the facts on some of the major issues, I was able to research some of the more topical myths that can be debunked.

A Government Take-over. Dissimilar to Canada and Britain, the government will not take over hospitals or other privately run health care businesses - and physicians will not become government employees. The U.S. government intends to help those who purchase insurance from private companies, but not pay all the bills like the system in Canada. Medicare and Medicaid will stay in tact, and the government would create health insurance exchanges for those who have to buy insurance on their own. This will be done so that Americans will be able to comparison-shop.

Employer insuranceEmployer insuranceEmployers Don't Need To Provide Insurance. Employers will not be required to buy insurance for employees, but larger employers with more than 50 workers may be subject to fines if they don't provide insurance. Congress apparently wants to encourage employers to offer insurance to all their employees, Fines will be issued to larger employers if their employees buy insurance on the exchanges and qualify for a low-income credit. Fines will be based on a sliding scale according to the number of employees, 50 and above.

Insurance Companies Will Refuse Certain Coverage. By 2014, when the exchanges open, insurers won't be able to deny customers for pre-existing conditions. There will also be minimum services they must cover and they will have to pay out a certain percentage of premiums for patient care. This is not to say that insurance companies won't be able to charge more for those insured that require pre-existing conditions.

FULL story at link.

[aquart]

1. "Charge more for pre-existing conditions."

What isn't a pre-existing condition?

[DJ13]

2. What isn't a pre-existing condition?

Death?

[demosincebirth]

3. I had a grand daughter who was jaundice when she was born, thirteen years

ago and was refused coverage at age nine because of that condition which only lasted 2 weeks.