Without Mandatory Insurance, eliminating pre-existing conditions will backrupt healthcare
There must be something in the water in Washington that allows for hundreds of lawmakers in both parties to find a way to make a problem worse with thousand page documents.
Considering my last 20 years of experience with insurance companies, it is difficult for me to write a post agreeing with their complaints about the current direction of reform. We must eliminate the pre-existing limitations on obtaining healthcare insurance. But, unless we mandate that all individuals have insurance, it will increase premiums to a ridiculous level. Without proper controls, we could all decide not to purchase insurance until a medical condition requires it. If the same criteria were applied to car insurance, we could wait until we had an accident and then purchase insurance to cover that accident. As much as we despise paying for something we don't need, we must begin to pay for something we will need or the premium costs will skyrocket to pay for only those who have diseases.
Recently, I saw a man on television that had a cancerous growth on his lips and jaw that will require well into 6 figures to repair. His jaw will have to be removed, rebuilt and then comes the chemotherapy. This could have been easily corrected early in a doctors office for a few hundred dollars. But he did not have insurance. This is unacceptable regardless of the reasons for his being uninsured.
As Americans, we really don't like being forced into something, but I will consider any other reasonable alternative. I am not advocating socialized medicine, but if all Americans have insurance, the rates will drop dramatically and the healthcare providers will be compensated.
No one should be forced to purchase a specific plan, but everyone should have a basic medical insurance policy. As a recruiter, I have seen too many people in reasonable paying, secure jobs refuse company insurance because it costs a $250 per month for a family. I know that is a lot of money when there are so many other things that we want, but many people would be happy for that opportunity. For those who really can't afford it, we should subsidize the cost until they are able to purchase their own policies.
I am tired of my premiums being increased to cover those who are uninsured because of wanting a larger flat screen TV, a newer house or more expensive car. For those who are really in need, we should help. For now, if everyone, healthy or not, had insurance, the premiums would drop and patient care would improve. Yes, the insurance companies need to be reigned in, but we all have a personal responsibility to come to a reasonable and cost-effective way to save the most creative medical system in the world.
TVP tvp@dyingforinsurance.com
Posted by The Virtual Patient at 10/16/2009 6:06 PM 
Categories: Uninsured, Politics, Costs, Private Policies, Patient Responsibility, Universal Healthcare, Insurance, pre-existing
Tags: Patient Politics uninsured universal health costs Private Policies healthcare coverage Insurance pre-existing
Categories: Uninsured, Politics, Costs, Private Policies, Patient Responsibility, Universal Healthcare, Insurance, pre-existing
Tags: Patient Politics uninsured universal health costs Private Policies healthcare coverage Insurance pre-existing
It is really an important fact that you have put forward that Without Mandatory Insurance, eliminating pre-existing conditions will bankrupt health care. I am a regular reader of this blog and I really don’t miss many of the posts here. All the posts I have read from this blog helped me a lot to understand about the health insurances. I too have tired of my premiums being increased to cover those who are uninsured because of wanting a larger flat screen TV, a newer house or more expensive car. This situation has to be changed.
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I am worried how this whole insurance revamp will affect the average working person. I have coverage currently, but I'm scared my premiums may go up.
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