A question for those of you who REALLY know this stuff (health care plans)

[The Anti-Bush]

Okay, both Hillary and Barack have mandates to some degree in there health insurance plans... right? Hillary mandates for everyone and Obama mandates it for children. That's fine, but here is the BIG question.

Does EITHER of their plans have a mandate for the Insurance companies stating that they CANNOT refuse treatment?

This is a serious question. What good is health insurance if there is no guarantee that they are going to have to cover your claim? I had insurance, and my claims got denied... Just like millions of other Americans.

Does anyone know?

[Cleita]

1. This is why insurance companies cannot be part of a REAL

national health plan. Go to this website that will explain it all to you.

http://www.pnhp.org

Conyer's bill H. R. 676 is along the line of the health plan that we need. When we get a serious Democratic leadership, this is the plan that we need to make sure that any new President of the USA is behind.

[canetoad]

3. Underwriters own the earth

if you need to know what is behind almost any new legislation in the field of Occ. health & safety, professional indemnity or public liablility, look to the underwriters.

I would imagine that the first barrier towards a universal healthcare system in USA would be finding a body to underwrite. This role is generally carried out by the government of the country offering health care. Given that the wars are costing a bit, your Gov. is not exactly flush with funds, how the hell could they be expected to underwrite the health care needs of the population?

It gets murkier. Nearly all insurers 'lay their bets off' by a process of re-insurance. Short-term, high risk investments. There's serious money to be made in the reinsurance business.

My guess is that no candidate is offering health care because they are damned aware that the underwriters of the world will not take the us gov on as 'the insured' at the moment.

[Cleita]

8. The fact is that the money that is spent in health plans today and

is put in the hands of the insurers and other for profit health care providers like HMOs would adequately cover all Americans with a new and improved Medicare. The numbers have been crunched but the privateers will have to be sent on their way. I did mean that pun on words too.

[sandnsea]

2. Re: Obama's plan

I know that it creates an Insurance Exchange, oversight commission. It will guarantee every insurance company has to accept everybody, no pre-existing conditions. It also ensures that every policy must meet a basic set of requirements, the same as the new public plan. It also ensures that an outside agency monitors every policy and rates them as to what they actually cover.

I don't think there is anything that specifically says every policy must cover every single thing, and I'm not sure it should. I'm 50 and I do not need a policy to cover pregnancy anymore, for instance. If that would make my policy cheaper, then I think that's a fair thing.

I know Hillary's has the pre-existing condition portion, but I don't know about any of the rest.

[ikojo]

4. Let's say insurance companies must accept

everyone who applies. Fine. What they will do is assess the premium based upon answers to medical questions on the application. Have asthma? More money. Female of child bearing age...be prepared to pony up more money, even if you don't plan on having kids. Over 40? Good luck on getting a cheap plan.

[sandnsea]

5. His Insurance Exchange monitors costs too

In addition, if they are set up like Oregon, the subsidy can be up to 95% of the premium so even a very expensive plan can be affordable.

[SoCalDem]

6. To work well, no one can "opt out" of any part..

the fact the women our age are no longer childbearing, is no reason for US to get a discount, since at our age, we are more likely to encounter other ailments that the younger ones are not,.

It HAS to a blanket coverage for EVERYONE.. the low risk young pay in, and may not use it much, but it's THERE ..in case they have an accident..and the older sicker ones who WILL use it, ..Everyone's getting older, and as the boomers croak in abundance, the whole program will get cheaper to do..but it IS do-able..

we just have to make up our minds as a country..to DO IT..

maybe we'll have to cut down on other things..

like wars & greedy oil companies & greedy politicians

[sandnsea]

7. Nobody is proposing that

That being the case, I don't see anything wrong with a variety of plans as long as the basics that can hit anybody are included in every one of them. I think eventually it will become clear that it's cheaper to just have one plan, everybody in, and a flat rate based on income. But as Churchill said, "Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities." We're not done exhausting the possibilities, unfortunately.