Health Insurance You Can Trust

Americans Deserve a Public Health Insurance Option.

Most Americans fear private health insurance companies won't be there for them when they get sick. As the debate heats up, it's really clear that a strong public health insurance plan must be a no-compromise element of any health care reform package. According to the Harris Poll only 7% of people judge private health insurance companies to be "honest and trustworthy." Trust in private health plans ranks above tobacco (2%) and oil companies (4%) but below hospitals (31%) and banks (21%).

People have a lot of reason to be suspicious about whether private insurance will cover them when they fall ill. A report from the American Cancer Society and Kaiser Family Foundation showed that despite having private health insurance, cancer patients are running up large debts, filing for personal bankruptcy, and even delaying or forgoing treatment because they can't afford care.

This is one of the reasons why a Lake Research poll found that a whopping 73% of voters want everyone to have a choice of a public health insurance plan while only 15% want everyone to have private insurance.

An accessible public plan is critically needed for Americans who want an option they can be confident will be there when they need it. Consider the story of Kathleen:

Kathleen, 46, is uninsured and has been denied coverage in the individual market because she has symptoms of leukemia. She lives in Florida, where the high-risk pool is not accepting new beneficiaries. She remains uninsured and has not had the necessary tests to confirm her diagnosis. "I have lost all faith in physicians and the health care system," Kathleen says. "No one is doing anything to help me."

A group in Washington State has recently filed a law suit against high promising but non-delivering insurance companies. "It's a significant problem. People think they are covered and turns out they aren't," said Joshua Welter, of Washington Community Action Network, a grass-roots organization supporting issues such as health-care reform. One of the people who was a victim is Ruth:

Ruth Bjorklund had an emergency hospitalization and later brain surgery. When she was hospitalized, Mrs. Bjorklund thought she had health insurance that met all the requirements under state law. But when the bills started coming in, she realized Nationwide was paying only a minimal amount of her expenses. Now she's more than $135,000 in debt. "I have a master's degree, and I got duped," said Bjorklund. "A lot of people were sold this plan. Hundreds of them. And it's wrong."

A Harvard study found that 50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses. Every 30 seconds in the United States someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem. Consider the plight of David:

David had to stop working as a truck driver after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer and has since been struggling to pay for COBRA during the two-year Medicare waiting period. His wife, Gloria, is his full-time caregiver and cannot work outside the home, and the couple has had to use much of their savings and borrow from friends and family to pay for their COBRA premiums. David cashed in his 401K at a 24 percent loss so that they will be able to continue to pay the COBRA premium until he is eligible for Medicare. Gloria tried to apply for Medicaid, but she learned that their income is too high. "There is not any help for people like us. We are not considered poor enough, but we don't have the money to pay it on our own," Gloria says.

The case for a public option is simple. People need insurance they can trust. They need insurance they can afford and public insurance has a better track record than private insurance when it comes to reigning in costs while preserving access. Without a public plan we will continue to lack a benchmark which to force improvements in private plans. Americans want public and private insurance competing side by side so that they can choose the best option for themselves and their families.

Comments

[jpinsatx]

Hmmm... Health Care for ALL Americans is Simple!


1) MERGE Medicare, Medicaid and CHIPS into one single "Income Based" system
for children, poor and elderly citizens.

2) REQUIRE insurance companies to provide the same basic coverage for
EVERY Uninsured citizen, regardless of health status, at affordable rates.

3) ALLOW insurance companies to "Profit" by offering additional benefits and options to those who qualify and are willing to pay the difference.

As for Funding…

1) Changing from an "Emergency Treatment" to a "Preventive Care" system will save local communities billions, maybe even trillions of taxpayer dollars!

2) Consolidating and utilizing existing systems will expedite the process and make administration more efficient and cost effective!

3) Small business will be able to compete globally and hire additional taxpaying employees!

4) Wealthy seniors will pay their fair share!

The Tremendous Burden on Future Generations will be Greatly Reduced!

[Gayla-G]

I have social security disability, which comes with Medicare, and I don't use the Medicare short of dire emergency. Why? #1: It only covers 80% of the cost, and where am I supposed to get the insanely inflated other 20% since I'm on disability unable to work? and #2: Doctors make me sick. They are participants in a corporate greed-fest. They are casualties of their schooling and the infrastructure they buy into. Their treatment is narrow, uninspired, and, more often that not, harmful. The quality of care is pathetic -- and I have tried and tried and tried to find good care. The whole system needs an overhaul towards integrative medicine and away from greed-driven corporate drug-pushing. Huge waste of everything.

[RoloTomassi]

Ya know, something just occurred to me [and since I don't read every single article on HuffPo everyday, I readily admit that I could be in error on this]:

When this "healthcare reform" issue first opened up here at HuffPo through articles promoting reform, the comments sections were inundated with lobbyists commenting and spreading disinformation.

But that doesn't seem to be the case any longer...w­hich makes me curious; could it be that--despite true belief and fervent prayers to chocolate jesus by the Obama faithful--by their estimation they've already quashed any real opportunity for healthcare reform?

A point to ponder...o­r not.

[jmpurser]

American health care really is worse than we generally know. I saw "Sicko" recently and even I, who has seen what I thought was the bottom of this barrel, was shocked at what was being passed off as normal industry practice.

Bill Moyers also had an excellent show on the benefits of single payer health systems too. Both are well worth the time to watch.

[Dolmance]

The people who run the private health insurance industry in the US are like those people who run those payday advance check cashing services.

[Maria Thomas]

agreed - except those loan sharks don't pay lobbyists to kill any real chance of health care reform.

[RoloTomassi]

And so to make my point from the previous post, it is very unlikely that a public healthcare insurance option worth having will be allowed to exist and compete with existing healthcare insurance, as the healthcare insurers surely realize that their industry would be obsolete within a decade [their industry is already obsolete in regards to effective healthcare delivery].

This is why I can't help but believe that no significant reform to healthcare will come about, as our leaders are dependent upon reform efforts being approved by the very industries that have the most to lose from reform, and who need to be removed from the process for real reform to be realized.

[RoloTomassi]

I'm all for a public option, but I have some serious questions about what that would entail, and how such is supposed to be run and implemented so as to "allow" these disgusting private insurers to remain "competiti­ve."

Will the public option require co-pays for drugs and medical services?

Will the public option have pre-existing condition exclusions?

Will the public option cover preventative care as well as catastrophic event care?

Will the public option be more affordable that privatized healthcare insurance?

And so here is the rub:

If the answer to any of those questions falls in line with privatized healthcare insurance, then the plan is likely not worth having.

If the answer to any of those questions opposes private insurer common practice, then the option will likely never see the light of day.

Now that seems like a pretty drastic statement, I know, but the way the Obama administration has approached every issue--from Wall St to healthcare--is to settle for what is "politically feasible" as defined by the entrenched status quo.

And an additional point that needs to be made here is that if you accomplish all of those goals [no co-pays, no pre-existing condition exemptions, comprehensive care, and affordable price] with a public option, then why not fight for single-payer?

[mommamia526]

A strong push for Healthcare reform is goiung to start within a week. I believe there will be debates, speeches on the tube, and more. Make June 6th available for yourself and your friends. Get together for an evening of fun and discussion and hear all sides with an open ear and mind. The public option is going to include preventive care, catastophic event care, and exclusions for preexisting conditions will not be allowed. More importantly, for those who have chronic illness, one may not be excluded from employment if one can work. There will be a few diehards who will insist on continuing their private insurance options. Some of those think that they get it for free from their employers. Others think that they need to pay for supplemental healthcare insurance in addition to Medicare. When they see that the new option is healthcare at a price we can afford to pay - much less than private insurance now - and that it will really cover you when you need it,. that last holdover will be convinced. The reason you hear far less now from those opposing at first is, that doctors and others have become convinced. The existing system is not working for them either now. And they did not go into medicine to push paper, but to treat and help patients.

[mommamia526]

In the article there are only a few cases listed as examples on why the existing system is not working. But read that the reason so many people go into bankruptcy is out of sight healthcare cost. Most people who go bankrupt were fully insured. My case is not listed here, and neither are those of millions of others. I too was fully ensured, I did not even file a claim, but was cancelled because I had surgery for which I paid out of pocket (preexisting condition), not once, but several times (fraud). I lost not only my home, but also my ability to get regular employment. Could not get insurance, and therefore no employment. I was not on welfare, foodstamps, disability, etc. but most everyone in my case would be. That costs every taxpayer. Transferpayments, social security, Medicare and local taxes. All are taxes everyone pays but is not aware of. Under the new sysem most of these people will continue working, remain off transfer payments, and pay taxes, as well as for their own healthcare. Even with deductibles as is now the case in Medicaire (20%) and also for Medicare D, the cost is a fraction of what one pays otherwise.

[demfriend]

I am soon to be 58. I have stage three kidney failure and stage four means dialysis five is transplant. I do not have a clue if I have gooten worse other than how I feel as I have been over a year without insurance and any doctor. I was unemployed for a while and the other job I could find is a contractor job where I have to pay my own taxes and no Social Security etc as I am in a "working for myself" area but I cannot afford to pay the taxes or insurance or a doctor bill or anything. I am a contractor who works for the military through an agency. Lucky to have a job? Not so lucky when I see it as being too "well paid" to qualify for assistance of any kind and getting too sick to care about the rest.....

[weslenforever]

I think everyone needs to stop worrying about what Canada, UK or anyone ELSE DOES and start CARING about the people who DIE every single DAY right here in AMERICA.
PAY THE DOCTORS! PAY THE HOSPITALS! AND GET THESE LEECHES OUT OF THE PICTURE!
They are going to keep boosting their profit level until NO ONE will be able to pay premiums any more. THINK ABOUT IT AND SAVE SOME LIVES ALONG THE WAY! SINGLE PAYER, NO MORE MIDDLEMEN! NO MORE GREEDY LEECHES KILLING FOR PROFIT!
SMARTEN UP PEOPLE! STOP LETTING THE MONEY GRUBBERS AND THE RIGHT WING "PRO-LIFE/NUKE THEM INTO SUBMISSION FOR JESUS" PARTY DICTATE WHO DESERVES TO LIVE AND WHO DOESN'T!

[Moose49]

A public health insurance option is the only way to keep the greedy for-profit private health insurance industry honest. Which is why it's the only way to achieve health care reform that works for the American people.

[pontesisto]

If you would like to help pressure Congress with your vote to pass single payer health care please join our voting bloc at:
http://www.votingbloc.org/Health_Bloc.php