Health Care bill will not allow new individual private coverage?

[ohheckyeah]

If this is true it's going to make it hard to argue the issue with conservatives.

When we first saw the paragraph Tuesday, just after the 1,018-page document was released, we thought we surely must be misreading it. So we sought help from the House Ways and Means Committee.

It turns out we were right: The provision would indeed outlaw individual private coverage. Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:

"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.

So we can all keep our coverage, just as promised — with, of course, exceptions: Those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers.

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=332548165656854

[galileoreloaded]

1. Tsk Tsk. Troublemaker..Why do you hate America?.....

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[Oregone]

2. So does that force individuals into the exchange?

If so, big deal

[cbdo2007]

3. The "exchange" is too expensive for some of us.

Isn't that the point of this whole thing is making health care more affordable?

[Oregone]

5. Who is "us"?

Explain your situation and why the exchange is too expensive. Im just curious, thats all.

[DailyGrind51]

6. It is cheaper to be part of a pooled-risk than an individual policy holder.

The larger the pool of insured clients, the lower the cost to everyone. Groups have greater negotiating power than individuals. If you have ever paid COBRA premiums, you have some idea about what it costs to have an individual health plan.

[Oregone]

7. Which is down right stupid to start with

Why? Well, because every client the insurance company has is part of their overall risk pool. Every premium payer and potential liability is part of their system. Their ability to divide this into virtual sub-groups with select rates is just another method of offering discounts to attract business at the cost of the little guy. Smaller groups merely pay more to attract large groups. This isn't part of risk model analysis. Its part of advertising and business attainment.

[Ms. Toad]

11. Not necessarily.

Young, healthy individuals pay far less for insurance than individuals buying into pooled risk plans. When offered COBRA, they generally decline because they are eligible for individual coverage at half or less the cost of COBRA.
Older individuals, or individuals with conditions that are deemed costly, pay far more for insurance than individuals buying into pooled risk plans.

In order to make the pooled risk plans affordable, those young healthy individuals will have to pay more to balance out the money that is no longer being collected from older individuals, or individuals with conditions that are deemed costly.

Remember - pooled risk makes everyone pay an average amount (perhaps weighted slightly for age) - that means those who could have been paying less than average will be paying more as part of a pooled risk.

[ohheckyeah]

10. I don't know and frankly

I don't care except if this provision is used to keep the Health Care Reform bill from passing. Then I care.

[PA Democrat]

4. Investor's Business Daily doesn't like the plan.... there's a shock (NOT).

Investors will no longer be able to make obscene profits off of crappy health insurance policies.

[ohheckyeah]

9. I don't know a thing about

Investor's Business Daily except to assume that it is conservative.

The question remains. The argument against health care reform has been that it takes away choice. The counter-argument, at least for me has been, no it doesn't. Now it looks like it does.

[ohheckyeah]

8. The question is

how do you argue that Health Care Reform won't take away choice if in fact it does?

[tucsonlib]

12. Okay, Listen Verrry Closely.....

In countries with single-payer universal health care, patients can visit ANY physician and ANY hospital they choose. I'm guessing that under that private insurance plan you love so much they gave you a list of "approved" health care providers that you were required to pick from.

Insurance Companies are unnecessary middlemen, in business to make a profit - NOT to provide health care.