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In Florida our Governor has worked with insurance companies to design affordable plans to FL residents. Still, although applicants won't be denied coverage entirely, they will need to be on the plan for a year in many cases before getting benefits for any illness related to that condition. However, the policyholder will be covered for unrelated services.
Personally, I think if we are going to begin programs like this, we need to do so with a clean slate and have an open enrollment period the way Medicare is designed, i.e., the open enrollment for a supplement starts on the first day of the month in which you turn 65 and are also enrolled in Medicare Part B. After you enroll in Part B, the 6 month medicare supplement open enrollment period starts. During this open enrollment period, an insurance company can't deny insurance coverage or place conditions on a policy or rate up the premiums because of past health conditions. So if a health plan was designed to encourage people to enroll now or be penalized later, I believe it would attract a lot of interest.
Last edited by justNancy; 03-29-2009 at 04:06 PM..
I think it's to little to late the insurance companies should be dumped.
IMO, the insurance companies will not, nor cannot, be "dumped". There are reforms that can be made that may help lots of people to be able to access insurance.
One thing for sure - access has to be voluntary - not coerced (made mandatory).
Regarding the question about $800 a month, that's pretty average. I'm a licensed health insurance agent. If you are talking about only catastrophic coverage, it's cheaper. Even with a $10,000 deductible, a family of 4 will cost about $750 a month for comprehensive coverage. Many people have cheaper plans and don't realize how little they cover until they get sick. That's one big problem with insurance. There are many plans out there that cover the basics, but a serious illness can bankrupt even a person with health insurance.
Group coverage is the best, but many employers don't offer benefits. The annual premium that a health insurer charges an employer for a health plan covering a family of four averaged $12,700 in 2008, according to the NCHC.
A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that the average out-of-pocket medical debt for those who filed for bankruptcy was $12,000. The study noted that 68% of those who filed for bankruptcy had health insurance.
NCHC | Facts About Healthcare - Health Insurance Costs (http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml - broken link)
Agreed. My daughter just turned 25, has to go off our policy. It will cost $500/mo for her to maintain her current benefits through COBRA. She is looking around for something cheaper, as she hopes to be working in a few months (is a full time student). As said, cheaper policies are often that . . . cheap. When you get sick, you find out they don't cover much.
As far as I know, we are the only industrialized nation that doesn't have a national health plan. So are you saying Canada, France, India, Israel, Germany, Finland, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand....
and the list goes on and on
...
I have lived in Scotland and in Italy.
I have been treated in hospitals in both of those nations, and I have seen many others treated there as well.
Lets not fool ourselves.
If you have family living near by who can bring you food each day, who can change your dressings, who can wipe the doctor's cigarette ashes off your dressings and sweep the floors each day; then laying in a Ospitale bed could be a good option.
Personally, I find it encouraging that the Health Insurance companies have agreed to start changing the way they treat pre-existing conditions.
Hopeful signs
Did you know GD.. that while they wanted to "cover everyone" irregardless of pre-existing conditions.. they said that they ALSO wanted insurance to be mandatory in order for it to properly work.
It was in an article that I had posted a few weeks ago when they started getting together for health reform.
Let's call it what it is folks. It ain't health care. It's sick care. We need to change our way of thinking. In fact, I'm much less of a liberal as people think, since I believe if people want to join a National Health Plan, they have to agree to scheduled checkups and following a healthful lifestyle, including regular exercise & a sensible diet. If that offends anyone, because it puts more "government" in your life, then don't join a national health plan!
Im not sure if you have read through all of the discussion on here and other threads about this but many people are against UHI because of the increased taxes and costs associated with it. I am also afraid that it is a slippery slope to UHC which will cost even more money. Also who is going to watch people exercise and eat right? The government?
If in Denver and NEPA there is a long wait for specialists (as someone has mentioned) than it just simply means that they need more doctors. NEPA is rural PA and Denver's population has grown so much. My family has had very little wait times here for specialists. Watch how many doctors leave the profession if UHC occurs. Then you will see some wait times!
Watch how many doctors leave the profession if UHC occurs. Then you will see some wait times!
Ok, so you believe that most/many of today's doctors got into it for the money. Those days are already over.
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