Nick Coons, the lead plaintiff in the Goldwater Institute’s lawsuit against the health care reform plan, seems to be misinformed about the insurance requirements.
I am an insurance agent and my understanding is that an insurance exchange will be set up to offer a variety of coverage options for small business owners like Mr. Coons. I haven’t read anything that says high deductible plans will be eliminated. He will be free to choose a $5,000 deductible plan, but that plan will be better than what he has now because it will be required to cover preventive care that is not subject to a deductible.
With regards to Mr. Coons’ concern about insurance companies having his medical information, I have some news for him. When he applied for health insurance, he gave the company permission to access his information — and it was available in a central database. Any insurance company, with his permission, can access his medical history. And if an insurance company to which he applies for coverage should look deeper and request medical records from his doctors (with his permission), that company might find a reason to reject him. This rejection information will go into a central database, so if he applies to another insurance company he will be red flagged — and possibly rejected automatically.
My point is that health care reform is not changing anybody’s access to his information. Big brother is already out there — and it’s the insurance industry.
One more thing: If Mr Coons or his wife or his child should be diagnosed with diabetes or some other illness, he might change his tune. He’s healthy, so he was able to get health insurance. But what about an entrepreneur with a great business idea who has diabetes? That person is uninsurable. Or what about a small business owner who has a child born with an illness that makes that child uninsurable? Until the reform law was passed this year, a child born with an illness could be refused coverage by his parents’ insurance company. This is something that has already changed due to the reform law.
I don’t know the details of Mr. Coons’ health insurance policy, but it sounds to me like he has a weak case that is based on misinformation and paranoia.
Denise Early, Tucson
—
Letters policy: Click here to submit a letter. Please be brief (no more than 300 words) and type or print name, address, city and phone number for verification. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Mesa Citizen posted at 11:03 pm on Fri, Aug 13, 2010.
Anyone supporting 0Bama's Health "Plan" is an IDIOT...[sad]
Medicareblogger posted at 9:42 am on Sun, Aug 15, 2010.
Funny, I think anyone who is against the health care reforms is not too bright. The United States is the only industrialized country that does not guarantee health insurance and health coverage to every citizen. We spend 17% of our GDP on health care and have 40 million+ uninsured citizens. Every other industrialized country spends about half as much of their GDP on health care and they cover everyone. Our current system is unsustainable and idiotic.
I suppose you are happy - if you have insurance - that you pay at least 20% more than you should in order to give insurance companies their profits and their CEOs $10 million dollar salaries. That doesn't sound too smart to me.
Accuracy posted at 9:45 pm on Sun, Aug 15, 2010.
Medicareblogger posted: “Funny, I think anyone who is against the health care reforms is not too bright.”
-----------------------------------------
You and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard who is for Obamacare.
While attorney generals in 21 other states have signed on to lawsuits against the health care law.
States have strong standing to challenge other aspects of the health care law such as how it effects their agencies or budgets or otherwise infringes on prerogatives that are left to the state under the 10th amendment.
Lawsuits filed in other states over the Obama Healthcare Package will prevail. And there are about a half-dozen constitutional lawsuits underway already against parts of President Obama’s health care law, and there is the multistate case filed in Florida, joined by 20 states across America.
Medicareblogger posted at 8:02 am on Mon, Aug 16, 2010.
Isn't it interesting that those attorneys general are all Republicans? They're all up in arms that their citizens should get health insurance! They're up in arms that their citizens will get subsidies to help them pay for that health insurance. They are up in arms because insurance company profits will be brought under control so they can't rip citizens off with unfair premiums. They are are against tax breaks for small companies that provide health insurance for their employees. They think insurance companies should be able to refuse coverage to a newborn child born with a health problem. They are against a system that is very much like the one set up by Republican Mitt Romney when he was governor of Massachusetts. It's clear to me that Republican opposition to the health care reform law is for political gain - and the millions of Americans without health insurance can just fend for themselves.