Ah, but you say that because you don’t understand what policy they’re talking about. Probably because Democrats totally suck at messaging.
There are regulations in various states that require any insurance sold in that state to do certain things.
The complaint is that companies cannot then compete “across state lines” using policies that don’t fulfill those requirements.
It’s a straightforward states’ rights and consumer rights issue. The Republicans and Tea Party want to prevent states from regulating insurance plans within their state borders. The hypocrisy is staggering.
Scuzz
3622
Insurance and cable TV should both allow you to pick and choose…but I digress…
Sabotai
3623
So far I’ve not heard one american who 's happy (or reasonably content for that matter) with their health insurance. Do they exist?
For a country priding itself for its revolutionary roots, why isn’t there a revolt?
A few years back I was working on a large air force base here in Ohio has a IT contractor. Contract ends, new company wins the followup, and while both offered Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the coverage under the new plan did wonderful things to my family’s finances. First, my 4yo daughter’s speech therapy (1-hour sessions once per week) went from covered to not covered at all, and there went $600/month. My 1yo son’s reflux prescription went from $20 to $180. I’m now at $750 in monthly bills out of nowhere, because the employer changed due to reasons obviously out of my control. And with a mortage, car payment on the Honda Odyssey, and food/utility/taxes, blah blah, that $750 monthly bill hits a single income household pretty damn hard. And that was just for those two things. Trust me, there were other medical expenses. My wife, the RN, said it was literally like not having insurance at all.
Scuzz
3625
because it is much easier to bitch about something being broken that it is to fix it…
They exist, yes. I’m one. I have very good insurance via my employer. I’m not ecstatic, mind you, as there are things I wish were different. But overall, I have had very good experiences when I’ve needed it. None of the nasty surprises folks are talking about here, for example.
That said, I’m extremely unhappy with one aspect of the above: “via my employer.” If I ever find myself unemployed, for whatever reason, I’m basically screwed. That’s unacceptable.
For a country priding itself for its revolutionary roots, why isn’t there a revolt?
An excellent question.
jason
3627
Oddly enough, I’m extremely happy with my own health insurance. It’s the wife’s that is bonkers.
But then, a) I’m in great health, b) I have no family history of any illness, and c) the insurance I have doesn’t qualify under the new regulations.
I have a catastrophic plan that pays 100% after my deductible, per incident. Kinda how car insurance works. And I get a discount on my premiums for having an annual physical exam, some tests and a general checkup at the 6 month mark. My plan actually encourages better health with financial incentive and will keep me from going bankrupt in the event of a major incident.
Meanwhile, my wife’s plan costs us a bunch of money, offers no incentive for better health and apparently doesn’t cover anything when something goes wrong. The only reason she’s on that plan and not on mine is because my plan offers nothing for pregnancy or children (you have to be 18) and we are trying to have a kid. The ironic part is that if we had a baby, insurance would have covered everything, but since she had an ectopic pregnancy that almost killed her, it’s going to cost us a bunch of money.
I’m very happy with mine. I have great coverage for everything for my wife and I for $30/mo. And it’s only $30/mo because I kicked a little extra into life insurance.
Like others have said, though, it’s through my job. So if I were to lose it, things would get worse in a hurry. Insurance through my wife’s job (she’s a nurse) is $350/mo for terrible insurance that barely covers anything.
The only problem I have ever personally experienced with the current system is annoyance at the inefficiency of it all thanks to (I assume) profit motives. I had an echocardiogram a few months ago, and they had me come in a few weeks later to go over the results. The appointment literally took 30 seconds while they told me that everything was completely normal. I got a $120 bill for those 30 seconds (covered almost entirely by insurance). Plus, it’s a half hour drive each way. Someone couldn’t have called or emailed those “results”?
I’m happy with mine, but I work at Microsoft. We have literally the best health care plan in the entire country - no deductible, no lifetime limits, virtually everything covered.
By all polling the majority of Americans are happy with their health coverage. But all you hear about is that everyone hates it and how awful everything is. Like most news reporting reality gets distorted.
Menzo
3631
Like most insurance, your plan is great until it isn’t. It’s only when you need a transplant or a masectomy do you really find out how good your plan is, and that’s too late.
And of course that’s just for people who have a healthcare plan. We need to think about the folks who don’t have healthcare at all, and figure out what to do about them.
Well, yes, I am. My wife and I have health insurance from the Empire Plan through SUNY in NY. We pay $80 a month (the State of New York is paying something like $1000 for us) for the two of us. We have a $20 copay for doctor visits and a sliding scale copay ($5/$15/$35) for drugs, depending on which drug it is. All hospital stays including emergency room visits are fully covered with a $50 deductible for emergency room use. The catch is (and it’s not actually a problem) is that doctors and labs must be in network, otherwise we have to pay as much as half the cost ourselves, and have to pay out of pocket and then be reimbursed. We live in Florida in a small city and virtually all the doctors here are in network.
No routine eye care coverage (glasses and yearly eye exams, etc.), but any eye problems caused by disease or injury are covered. No dental of any kind, although we could buy a relatively expensive and shitty policy through my wife’s union.
Dunno how long it will last, but for the last 15 years and for the moment we are more than happy with it.
Sabotai
3633
So what happens when you need emergency-surgery and you are in another state without a network medical facility nearby?
ShivaX
3634
No way its the best healthcare IN THE WORLD!
My mom is getting screwed by her insurance company along the same lines. Someone filed something wrong and now they’re saying everything my step-father went through before he died isn’t their problem. Best part? They already paid for all of it. Now they sent letters to every doctor and hospital asking for their money back and to bill her for it. Mind you they both worked in medicine for decades and knew all the ins and outs of the system and STILL got fucked over.
Yeah its a great system.
To be fair (ugh), that’s how all insurance works, not just medical. Your auto would do the same thing, when possible. The difference is that medical bills are WAY higher than almost any other catastrophe you could face (exception: having your home destroyed). So when you do get screwed, you get screwed hard.
Oh, and the insurance companies will also take from the taxpayers, when possible. My wife had to go on disability for a mental condition. The insurance company insists that she apply for social security, whether we need it or not, just so they can lower the checks they send her. From a business perspective, I absolutely understand that. It saves them money. But if the insurance companies want to shift the burden to the government, why don’t we just go all the way with that?
All emergency room visits are covered in the US regardless of which hospital I go to. It’s only the non-emergency stuff that need to be in-network. If I am going to be in another state for a while, I can get a guest pass for medical care there, because Empire Plan has in-network providers in every state, through various other insurance providers. I do not need a guest pass for emergency room visits anywhere in the US. Our coverage in Florida is administered through United Health Care, and BC/BS for hospital coverage. If we move to another state, we’d have a different provider with the same coverage.
Outside the US, I would need to pay out of pocket for medical, emergency and otherwise, and then be reimbursed for some or all of it.
Your insurance sounds very much like what my wife and I have, through the University. Basic $20 copay on any doctor or hospital visit for any reason, but beyond that everything is covered (I’ve had two surgeries in the past 10 years–carpal tunnel on my hands and a tumor removed from my lower spine, and neither cost us a dime. The wife had surgery related to endomitriosis–not a dime). If we are out of network, we go to an “Urgent Care” clinic, pay out of pocket, and are reimbursed down to only the copay amount. We pay a bit extra (like less than $5/month) for dental coverage, and another $5 or so for vision care. We can also buy legal coverage for I think $7/month. My life insurance is, IIRC, $17/month for 6x my salary. And new starting employees to the U receive all of these benefits with NO limitations or required check-ups first–if you work for the U, you get the coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions.
There’s a reason people are reluctant to leave jobs that have excellent medical coverage. It is painful and dangerous.
WarrenM
3638
Because while I may not love my health coverage, I don’t think it’s really worth taking up arms over.
One was Aetna, the other Blue Cross. Those are the two largest providers around here. “Shitty medical” sums up the entire state of healthcare insurance in the USA quite nicely, though.
Some of you have some great plans! Mine if more of an emergency plan. If things go horribly wrong, I’ll be out 7k or something, but no more. But if things go minorly wrong, I’m probably out whatever it will cost.
