What the Public Option Means to the Chronically Ill

[babylonsister]

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6484#more-41968

What the Public Option Means to the Chronically Ill
By: thebagofhealthandpolitics Monday July 20, 2009 11:46 am


There has been a lot of misinformation about how the public option is "really a sell out to insurance companies" posted on various websites. I am a chronically ill American. I know that the public option, and other provisions contained within the Senate HELP bill and the House tri-committee bill would make the lives of chronically ill Americans fairer. These bills would ban discrimination against the chronically ill (what the insurance industry terms purging) and the absurd practice of rescinding cancer patients insurance coverage due to previous bouts with acne. The House tri-committee bill ends the insurance industry's ability to discriminate against the chronically ill with the following provision:

SEC. 112. GUARANTEED ISSUE AND RENEWAL FOR INSURED PLANS.

The requirements of sections 2711 (other than subsections (c) and (e)) and 2712 (other than paragraphs (3), and (6) of subsection (b) and subsection (e)) of the Public Health Service Act, relating to guaranteed availability and renewability of health insurance coverage, shall apply to individuals and employers in all individual and group health insurance coverage, whether offered to individuals or employers through the Health Insurance Exchange, through any employment-based health plan, or otherwise, in the same manner as such sections apply to employers and health insurance coverage offered in the small group market, except that such section 2712(b)(1) shall apply only if, before nonrenewal or discontinuation of coverage, the issuer has provided the enrollee with notice of non-payment of premiums and there is a grace period during which the enrollees has an opportunity to correct such nonpayment. Rescissions of such coverage shall be prohibited except in cases of fraud as defined in sections 2712(b)(2) of such Act.

This provision would end the absurd practice of for-profit insurers denying the chronically ill coverage in order to decrease their medical loss ratio, and therefore increase their stock price. This provision would go a long way towards giving the 11.4 million chronically ill Americans who lack health insurance access to the medical care they need.

snip//

In conclusion, the House tri-committee bill and its Senate Help bill sister ban the worst practices of the insurance industry, and provide affordable coverage for 97% of Americans. They do this for 1/7th the cost of the bailout given to Wall Street executives last fall.

Is the plan perfect? Absolutely not. But it would end discrimination against the chronically ill; it would expand access to proper medical care and drastically reduce the national tragedy known as medical bankruptcy; and it would take medical decisions out of the hands of insurance bureaucrats and put them back into the hands of doctors and patients.

The House tri-committee bill and its sister the Senate health care bill are more than worthy of our support. I hate to riff off of George W. Bush, but the reality is that you either stand with the 48 million uninsured Americans who would be helped by these bills, or you stand with those who, for whatever reason, want to keep 48 million people in the waiting room for decades.

[shireen]

1. thank you!

As a chronically-ill person myself, i welcome that news. So far, i've been damned lucky to have a job with decent medical benefits but it won't last forever, and I've been worried about the future.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of chronically ill people need relief now!

[G_j]

2. atta way to go Congress!!

discrimination against the chronically ill, & the "acne loophole", have been going on forever it seems..


they've heard the horror stories, the very least they could have done would be to pass some regulations (omg!) to protect people.

[Gwendolyn]

3. Ever wonder why there are so few feel-good stories coming out of other countries?

The ones where an entire town hosts bake sales and organizes car washes to support a child dying of leukemia and the local paper covers it? Or how networks of people go viral to get funds for some 30-something dying of some other disease and soon the world is involved? How few Churches are involved in rallying people together when someone suffers a devastating car accident that leaves them paralyzed and the family fecked?

Oh yeah, it's because these people are fully covered in the first place, and don't need the charity. That's why you don't hear of these stories from other countries.

[BlooInBloo]

4. One reason I say fuck the all-or-nothing crowd.

[boobooday]

5. As one of the "uninsurable"

I approve this message.

[sandnsea]

6. This is for all insurance, not just public option

This, the expansion of Medicaid and the subsidies are worth passing.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

7. There are lot of good things in there.

No limits on coverage. No exclusions for pre-existing conditions, etc... All of the neysayers are really starting to piss me off. It's not an ideal solution by far, but it's solid progress and I'll certainly take it.

[dysfunctional press]

8. one IMPORTANT aspect of the public plan HAS to be the same price for everyone.

right now, i'm on medicare, but due to being disabled, if i want 'gap' coverage it'll cost around $600/month IF i can find a company willing to give it to me. my disability check is less than $1200/month. i also don't have prescription coverage, as it's too expensive at this point, based on the meds i currently take.

[sandnsea]

11. There is some variance

They can charge different amounts based on region and age, but the age can't be more than 2:1. I imagine that will mean adjusting both ends towards the middle, but we'll see. It can also vary based on family size, but that's pretty much a no kidding issue I think. I don't know what they're doing for medicare supplemental, I actually haven't read anything on that that I can think of. I went through the Senate plan pretty thoroughly. Not as much with the House. Here's some info,

http://www.obama-mamas.com/health-care.html

[TexasObserver]

9. Recommended.

There is no justification for our failure to provide for the ill.

[Spazito]

10. Excellent!

It is so important to get the REAL facts out there!

Recommended.