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Re: Why Have Medical Insurance?

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On 5/21/2017 12:30 PM, dagmargoodboat@yahoo.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at 11:03:23 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
>> On 5/10/2017 10:04 PM, dagmargoodboat@yahoo.com wrote:
>>> On Monday, May 8, 2017 at 5:20:21 PM UTC-4, dca...@krl.org wrote:
>>>> On Monday, May 8, 2017 at 4:27:31 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> So what is the point of medical insurance if your rates can be jacked up
>>>>> when you get sick or the condition you are sick with can be removed from
>>>>> the coverage?
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>> Rick C
>>>>
>>>> I think you need to review the proposed law.  My understanding is that if you had a pre existing condition you could be charged more for one year and after a year of being covered your payments would be lowered as if you had no pre existing condition.
>>>>
>>>>                                    Dan
>>>
>>> Correct.  The "late enrollment penalty" adds 30% to your premiums, for
>>> one year.
>>>
>>> http://files.kff.org/attachment/Proposals-to-Replace-the-Affordable-Care-Act-Summary-of-the-American-Health-Care-Act
>>
>> The states have flexibility to make changes to these rules.  They can
>> decide to allow insurance companies to charge higher rates and to not
>> cover "preexisting" conditions for some period of time.
>>
>> "The American Health Care Act stipulates that states can allow insurers
>> to charge people with pre-existing conditions more for health insurance
>> (which is banned under the ACA) if the states meet certain conditions,
>> such as setting up high-risk insurance pools. Insurers still cannot deny
>> people coverage outright, as was a common practice before the ACA's
>> passage, but they can hike up premiums to an unaffordable amount,
>> effectively pricing people out of the market.
>>
>> "In fact, premiums could reach as high as $25,700 per year for people in
>> high-risk pools, according to a report from AARP. People who receive
>> insurance through their employer would not be affected, unless they lost
>> their job or moved to the individual insurance market for some other
>> reason."
>>
>> The part I don't really get is how this is a big improvement over the
>> ACA.  They are talking about spending "$138 billion over a decade set
>> aside for high-risk pools".  That may be a lower number than what the
>> ACA would cost over a decade, but is it really worth it?  How much is
>> this going to muck up the works?  Why go from a system where people just
>> plain get insurance to one where they can get insurance, but have to go
>> here if this and there if that?
>
> Obamacare is falling apart.  It has doubled premiums in just three years,
> and that's not even including all of the illegal payments the Obama
> administration was making to insurers to keep premiums from rising even
> more.
>
> That's why "they" feel the need to do something.

That doesn't answer the question.  Why is this better in any way?  I 
don't see how it will accomplish the good the current system does and it 
is not yet clear that it will cost any less.


>> The ones who don't care about any of this are the majority who have
>> insurance through their employers.  I recall a conversation with one of
>> mine where they explained that if you had a disabling medical condition
>> you would be fired after some time (it takes 6 months to claim on
>> disability insurance if you have it) and after that you are on your own.
>>   Even COBRA runs out at 18 months.  Then your only option is one of
>> these plans.  You don't know what will happen to you.
>>
>> One thing every health care professional knows, sometimes you are better
>> off leaving things alone than going in to try to "fix" it.  The more you
>> mess with it, the worse it gets many times.
>>
>> If we are going to keep fucking with the health care of the US, why not
>> do something that actually FIXES it instead of doing a Doctor Willard
>> Bliss?
>
> I already described how to fix the underlying cost problem--rather than
> pay middlemen, just pay your doctor cash for the ordinary stuff.  That
> saves about 40% of the cost right there.

That ignores two things.  First, the doctor charges you a *lot* more 
than they charge the insurance companies.  There are "insurance" 
companies that do nothing other than getting you a discount.  Second, 
some people don't have the money to pay a doctor.  What do they do?

I would be interested in actually discussing this.


> Then, when people shop, prices fall.  Further.  There's plenty of room for
> it.

Hardly.  Doctors have rate schedules set by third parties.  There would 
only be competition if there were a significant supply.  Hell, a 
friend's doctor gave up on the whole insurance thing and only has 
patients that pay them $2,000 a year for nothing other than being able 
to get an appointment!  If there were any semblance of competition they 
wouldn't be able to do that.


> You said that was taking away peoples' care.

I don't think I said that.


> (Of course it was the opposite.  Reducing cost is the key to increasing the
>  availability and affordability of health care.)
>
> That's why Congress is not solving it--they're afraid of too many people
> reacting without thinking.

But they haven't done *anything* to solve the problem.  Their plan will 
result in millions of Americans losing their insurance!  On top of that, 
they have yet to put forward a plan that will pass Congress.  The House 
only passed it to get the hot potato out of their hands and into the 
Senate.  Members have been quoted as saying it is not an acceptable or 
workable plan, but that it would be "improved" in the Senate.

That's not solving anything.

-- 

Rick C

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Re: Why Have Medical Insurance? dagmargoodboat@yahoo.com - 2017-05-21 09:30 -0700
  Re: Why Have Medical Insurance? rickman <gnuarm@gmail.com> - 2017-05-22 01:24 -0400

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