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Some people seem to have a very strange view of what insurance companies do. They point to the problem of people who have a pre-existing condition, trying to sign up for new insurance, only to find the insurance companies won't pay for the the treatment for that pre-existing condition.
Of course they won't. That's not what insurance companies do. Whoever said they did?
Insurance is a gambling game where you bet on what will happen in the future. You "bet" that you will get sick or injured, and the company "bets" that you won't. If you get sick or injured, the company pays you the stipulated amount (paying for a portion of your medical treatment etc.), and if you don't, you pay them (premiums). The purpose is to shield you from the "shock" of suddenly and unexpectedly getting hit with huge medical bills... which is why you agreed to the contract.
A pre-existing condition cannot be insured against. It's like betting on the outcome of a horse race that's already been run - there is no "chance" involved, and no "unexpectedness" to the outcome (any more). Or like trying to get car insurance after wrecking your car.
Insurance companies are in the business of selling security - the assurance that you won't be suddenly bankrupted by huge medical bills, rehab bills etc. in the future. They do it by insuring huge numbers of people and getting them to each pay relatively small amounts (their premiums) each. They and their clients all know that most of them will never incur the huge medical bills they are worried about. But since no one knows which few people WILL incur them, they are all happy to pay the premiums, for the knowledge they won't have to pay the huge amounts if they turn out to be the unlucky ones.
Insurance companies sell safety from FUTURE possible disasters. And that's all they sell. Asking them to cover pre-existing conditions, is like asking a submarine designer to design a supersonic jet - it's got nothing to do with his business or his area of expertise, and he never volunteered to design jets in the first place, for good reason.
If you want to set up some kind of universal pool to pay for pre-existing conditions, fine, go ahead. But why drag insurance companies into it? It's got nothing to do with their areas of expertise, and they never volunteered to do it in the first place - for good reason.
I hope you never have a condition that requires you to get blood tests every few months, take medication on a regular basis to control it, lose your job or simply change your job, etc. Would suck for you mighty hard.
Some people seem to have a very strange view of what insurance companies do. They point to the problem of people who have a pre-existing condition, trying to sign up for new insurance, only to find the insurance companies won't pay for the the treatment for that pre-existing condition.
Of course they won't. That's not what insurance companies do. Whoever said they did?
Insurance is a gambling game where you bet on what will happen in the future. You "bet" that you will get sick or injured, and the company "bets" that you won't. If you get sick or injured, the company pays you the stipulated amount (paying for a portion of your medical treatment etc.), and if you don't, you pay them (premiums). The purpose is to shield you from the "shock" of suddenly and unexpectedly getting hit with huge medical bills... which is why you agreed to the contract.
A pre-existing condition cannot be insured against. It's like betting on the outcome of a horse race that's already been run - there is no "chance" involved, and no "unexpectedness" to the outcome (any more). Or like trying to get car insurance after wrecking your car.
Insurance companies are in the business of selling security - the assurance that you won't be suddenly bankrupted by huge medical bills, rehab bills etc. in the future. They do it by insuring huge numbers of people and getting them to each pay relatively small amounts (their premiums) each. They and their clients all know that most of them will never incur the huge medical bills they are worried about. But since no one knows which few people WILL incur them, they are all happy to pay the premiums, for the knowledge they won't have to pay the huge amounts if they turn out to be the unlucky ones.
Insurance companies sell safety from FUTURE possible disasters. And that's all they sell. Asking them to cover pre-existing conditions, is like asking a submarine designer to design a supersonic jet - it's got nothing to do with his business or his area of expertise, and he never volunteered to design jets in the first place, for good reason.
If you want to set up some kind of universal pool to pay for pre-existing conditions, fine, go ahead. But why drag insurance companies into it? It's got nothing to do with their areas of expertise, and they never volunteered to do it in the first place - for good reason.
In some cases it makes sense. For example, if you have a person who is diabetic. Keeping their diabetes under control will cost the company less than the complications from diabetes not being under control. Of course you'll pay higher premiums because of the pre-existing condition because that's the way insurance works. The higher the risk of something going wrong, the higher the premiums.
I agree on a universal pool for pre-existing conditions like cancers and AIDS and other things insurance companies should not be expected to cover. Some things make sense to cover and others do not.
I hope you never have a condition that requires you to get blood tests every few months, take medication on a regular basis to control it, lose your job or simply change your job, etc. Would suck for you mighty hard.
So you have no explanation for why insurance companies, in particular, should pay for these pre-existing conditions?
Insurance companies do cover pre-existing medical conditions. They just charge through the nose for the coverage.
Obamcare was the best thing that ever happened to the industry. With such a huge base of coverage, no single company has to bear the great risk they all face now individually. Their actuaries know this full well, and that's why many companies have already lowered their rates. They all want to be first in line when the exchanges are in place.
So you have no explanation for why insurance companies, in particular, should pay for these pre-existing conditions?
Because they want them to....
They should not have to. It's not the insurance company's fault you have a pre-existing condition. However, I do think people who can't get insurance because of pre-existing conditions should have something to fall back on. I just don't think private insurance should be forced to pay the bill.
Why should they cover preexisting conditions? For one reason, everyone either is sick now, was sick in the past, or will be sick in the future. This idea that most people don't get sick, so why cover those who are, or were, is being dishonest.
Insurance companies do cover pre-existing medical conditions. They just charge through the nose for the coverage.
Obamcare was the best thing that ever happened to the industry. With such a huge base of coverage, no single company has to bear the great risk they all face now individually. Their actuaries know this full well, and that's why many companies have already lowered their rates. They all want to be first in line when the exchanges are in place.
Please post your source for this information. Both mine and my dh's rates have gone up not down. I haven't heard of anyone lowering their rates.
i agree. There should be a public option so that people aren't forced to buy into a fanning institution.
sure... a public option
so the taxpayer gets screwed again
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