Public Option "Lifetime Out Of Pocket Max" - anyone know what it is? what should it be?

[cbdo2007]

I've read through the house bill and didn't see any figures listed. Does anyone know what the Lifetime max they are proposing for the Public Option plan would be?

I can't see a realistic scenario where it would be low enough to cut down on the number of bankruptcies significantly.

How much should the "lifetime Out Of Pocket max" on the public option be? $50,000? $100,000?

[Donnachaidh]

1. there shouldn't BE a lifetime max!

This is one of the more heinous tricks used by the insurance companies -- WTF is it doing in a public option plan?

[cbdo2007]

2. Sorry - added clarification - OOP max NOT max that plan will cover

yeah, I'm more worried about the Out of Pocket max. They say there will be annual or lifetime limits of how much people have to pay OOP but I'm fairly certain these will still be too high for most families, and that it will still wipe them out.

[county worker]

3. It's like a deductible. Say it is $1,500. You pay the first $1,500 and the plan covers the rest.

It seems to me the public option will be like other insurance. The federal government will function as a health insurance company to compete with private health insurance. You will have a choice which one you want. You will have to decide and you will have to pay for it.

[YewNork]

4. But keep in mind, an out of pocket max is NOT the same thing as a deductible.

A deductible means you pay a specified amount and only after you've paid out that amount, will insurance start to cover your expenses.

A deductible does not, necessarily, apply to every type of medical procedure that you can have. Some procedures do not have any deductible.

An out of pocket max means that once you have paid out that amount, you are not required to pay anything more.