If there is a way to buy insurance for those with pre-existing conditions, then I’m okay with it.
I’ve had MS for 25 years, needless to say, the costs have been considerable with many years the insurance having to cover large costs,. For years we were covered by group insurance (we’ve always had to pay for our group insurance but it was $400 a month, or so.l All was well until my husband his job, and when he couldn’t find another right away, went into business for himself for a year, and we tried to buy insurance (this is pre-Cobra)
We could buy health insurance for me, it just wouldn’t cover any costs that had to do with my MS. Fortunately this is also before the major DMD (disease modifying drugs) came out. They were about $2000 a month when they became available. A major flare and hospitalization would have been our worst case scenario. Also, once my husband got a job, those were the days that if you hadn’t been covered for the previous year for your illness, you had to wait another year for your pre-existing illness to be covered. Those were dark days if you had a pre-existing condition and a chronic illness.
If they allow you to buy insurance that will cover a pre-existing illness from the first day on it, I’m okay with that. I wonder about the costs. I really don’t trust the insurance companies, but it seems if they had some commission to review rates (like the state reviews our property insurance rates and okays whether they can raise their rates as much as they want, that seems fair.)
People that are hard nosed and lack compassion for some of these pre-existing condition folks plight, are forgetting they could be in the other person’s shoes. Sure there are those that are just looking for a handout, but there are plenty of people who are chronically ill or with chronically ill children, where mom is staying home taking care of the sick child, and they are barely making it on dad’s salary. Add exorbitant rates to that, and it truly is a sad story.
The Government should have a High Risk Pool for those with Pre Existing Conditions and let the Insurance Companies get back to using Historical Risk Factors to determine Rates for those they cover, just like Life Insurance Companies do when they issue a Policy.
The only question is how the High Risk pool would be funded.
The Republican plan says you can but insurance during a 60 day opt in period without penalty for a pre-existing condition.
It is not health care insurance if you have a pre-existing condition. It is a supplemental payment plan to help defer medical costs. Insurance is a bet against getting sick. It is something no one wants to utilize.
Pre-existing conditions means that you lost the bet and want help with your medical payments for an existing condition and because you do not have insurance. In other words, supplemental payments to help defer the costs of an illness. This is not insurance by any definition. Should a high-risk pool exist? Sure we should help those that can’t help themselves. But don’t call it insurance and drive up the costs for the healthy with insurance.
Yup...that is the reality.
Ed
Do you really want to go there?