Yes, I believe that is how it should be spelled these days. Hell-th insurance. I was amazed yesterday at the hypercritical and plain gossipy questions President Obama fielded on this topic. (And grateful for his intelligence and eloquence as he answered those questions.) One reporter asked and insinuated: "Won't a public health insurance plan put private insurers out of business?" What planet does that reporter live on?Private insurers are not interested in the public welfare, or one or more of them would have made an effort to offer some kind of decent coverage to self-employed, under-employed or even unemployed persons--certainly at least to children. The convoluted underwriting guidelines of these companies makes it clear that they have no sense of mission to the masses. My case is a great case in point.
As an employee, I was insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield for five years. In the 30 days after leaving said employ, I applied for individual coverage with BCBS. I was denied. They sent me a letter stating that due to a change in one of my medications, I could not be granted coverage. I switched from one prescription drug to another, and that's all it took to make me uninsurable in their eyes. Yet, the group of employees I had once belonged to included a person who had had major intestinal surgery and another with leukemia. They continue to be insured simply because they are part of a "group." I am functional. I have not missed a day of working in years. I have not been hospitalized in 17 years for any reason. But I the Individual cannot be insured by the same company that had provided my insurance for five years. Make sense? Of course not.
Now, when I do find new insurance, I can be sure that it will not cover any existing condition I have, however small, for at least 12 months--and perhaps never will cover them. So, I will be paying basically for a possible hospitalization coverage just to keep from going bankrupt should that happen. That is, of course, if I can obtain said coverage at all.
BCBS said I could apply through my state's Health Risk Pool for coverage. And guess who underwrites that coverage? Blue Cross, of course. They'll get money even from the people they deny coverage to . . . . what a great business model--for them.
Put the private companies out of business? Oh, if only.
I'm sure you have an experience and/or opinion on this subject, too. NOW is the time to let your government representatives know what that experience or opinion is. The land of the free and the brave should also be the land of the well, don't you think?
The very cool image above is from Heavenfelts, a very interesting site on energy, chakras, and other topics.
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