President Obama to Set Rules for Health Insurance Companies - eight consumer protections

[jefferson_dem]

President Obama to Set Rules for Health Insurance Companies
July 29, 2009 8:32 AM

Taking his health care reform push to the real world, President Obama hits, campaign-style, stops in Bristol, Virginia and Raleigh, North Carolina, in red states he turned blue last Fall.

Today he will outline eight specific consumer protections that he wants to be part of reform:

• no discrimination for pre-existing conditions,
• no exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses,
• no cost-sharing for preventive care,
• no dropping of coverage for serious illness,
• no gender discrimination,
• no annual or lifetime caps,
• extended coverage for young adults, and
• guaranteed insurance renewal.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/07/president-obama-to-set-rules-for-health-insurance-companies.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Good start

I'd add

no accountants deciding which medicines a patient can take
no requiring patients to take medicines the doctor has already documented cause side effects before other medications are paid for
no blanket refusal to pay for lab tests (one of the biggest insurance companies refuses outright to ever pay for a food antibody test, which can be used to determine if a person has serious illnesses, like Celiac disease)

You know, if we don't get single payer, I would at least hope that even the Republicans in Congress would agree that we need to more strictly control insurance companies. My Congressman is a hard right Republican who will never vote single payer, but who has been responsive to my calls for insurance company reforms.

[depakid]

2. Nice to see specifics

but all this will cost beaucoup bucks and without a public option, will only accelerate the annual double digit rate increases.

[rocktivity]

4. Glad to see he's willing to re-regulate for-profit healthcare

but you're right--a public option is the only way to regulate cost-effectively. It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that for-profit healthcare must die, and anything less than single payer is fiscally, politically, and morally irresponsible.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[clear eye]

18. No, single-payer is the only way to control cost effectively.

The difference in savings between even the best public option, w/ subsidies financed by a tax on the wealthy, and single-payer is night and day.

Yes, I'm well aware that s-p is not on the table now, but we really do have to remember what the gold standard is, and push for any opening.

[kickysnana]

3. Probably costs $24,000 a year who can afford it? n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

5. Biggest question for the President - effective as of when?

Any answer other than "immediately" doesn't wash and is just buying the insurers more time to screw us.

[flpoljunkie]

14. The crucial question.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

6. He "wants" to be part of the reform

I would prefer to hear him say they "have" to be part of the reform.

It's time to suck it up and set some firm guidelines, not just a wishlist.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

7. And, oh by the way, what happened to "public option" ?

Is that officially off the table or is it still on the table?

[depakid]

9. Does sound a little like goalpost shifting....

:tinfoilhat:

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

11. Not just the goalposts - we're in a whole new stadium in a different town altogether

The Voters Healthcare Reform Stadium is now the Corporate Insurance Reform Stadium and we're playing in their hometown of Lobbyville. The buses with the Voter fans have unfortunately been equipped with faulty GPS systems, they are going nowhere fast and will probably miss the game entirely. They'll get there in time for some leftover stale peanuts and warm beer.

[clear eye]

20. Well, like Churchill famously said,

"The Americans will always do the right thing . . . After they've exhausted all the alternatives."

After this doesn't do diddly, we might get single-payer on the table.

[Teaser]

16. nope.

these aren't details of the legislation. they are simply benefits the legislation will bring.

but people want to feel like they are going to be betrayed by Obama. They get off on it. So I'm sure they'll fail to see that.

[dionysus]

24. they live for this despair shit. i can't tell if it's funny or pathetic.

[Teaser]

15. uh, these principles are about the benefits the package will bring

not about the specifics in those packages.

I'm so tired of sad clown failure porn.

[clear eye]

21. Please, DO tell me what the "package" is.

....

[Captain Hilts]

8. Good start, but as someone who is unemployed, I still won't be able to get insurance. nt

[Teaser]

17. why not?

These are just benefits of the legislation as proposed. this has nothing to do with the specifics of how these benefits will be distributed.

[Captain Hilts]

23. Health insurance companies will not sell me insurance because I'm unemployed.

I have the money.

I qualify for the extra healthy discount.

And they won't sell me a policy because I am not employed.

[crazylikafox]

10. Back to INSURANCE REFORM, not health care reform.

Obama is folding fast.

[Laelth]

12. For-profit health care is immoral and inefficient.

Why are we spending all this energy trying to preserve a system that is doomed to fail and is costing us both lives and enormous amounts of money?

:shrug:

:dem:

-Laelth

[clear eye]

22. Hope you can make it to the single-payer rally in DC tomorrow.

11 am. Link up w/ others from your state today by going to www.healthcare-now.org

[flpoljunkie]

13. If passed, when will these health insurance reforms become effective.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. When, how much and how bad will the injustice be toward

GLBT families who will be treated as strangers under the law to please the religionist bigots? How much discrimination will it take to please the Faith Based Office?