Posted on 12/22/2013 10:57:30 AM PST by John Semmens
In feudal times, serfs were tied to the land—unable to leave without their overlord’s permission. In the old Soviet Union, workers were tied to their jobs—unable to leave without the government’s permission. In many insurance plans, medical services rendered outside of the network are uncovered. This becomes a problem when the network is extremely narrow, as many of the plans offered under the Affordable Care Act are.
It is bad enough when the “network” is bounded by the state’s borders. It is worse when the boundary is the county or city line—as is the case with many of the “affordable” plans being offered under Obamacare. Going on a trip adds a whole new category of potential unforeseen expenses if you venture too far from home.
Press Secretary Jay Carney acknowledged the potential deterrence to travel, but contended “it could be a good thing. Travel, especial by car, is an inherently risky behavior. It’s probably the riskiest thing most people do on a regular basis. The injuries sustained in car crashes add to the nation’s healthcare bill. If the fear of being uncovered away from home discourages travel we will avoid some of these crash costs.”
“Besides, a lot of private travel is frivolous and unproductive,” Carney argued. “The need for people to get in their car and go sight seeing is practically nonexistent. Everything worth seeing has already been videoed and is available for download at a fraction of the cost. People can use Skype to visit with friends and relatives on a more frequent basis than a holiday trip to grandma’s house. So, on balance, if the new health plans reduce travel I think it may be more of a plus than a minus.”
if you missed any of this week's other semi-news/semi-satire posts you can find them at...
http://azconservative.org/2013/12/20/bill-would-require-state-approval-to-homeschool/
There’s no satire about this. Over thirty years, I’ve known many employees who suddenly needed hospitalization while traveling in different states. It’s never been a problem as those employers provided what are now considered gold-plated Cadillac plans. One of my fist thoughts on reading about Democrat-care is that suddenly where you were when you got sick would be desperately important.
This is not satire.
The US government is a tyranny run by an undocumented
Indonesian who invited al Qaeda/MB into the DHS
and Pentagon.
And what did the US Congress do about it?
Nothing. Because THEY (and their families
and staff) are EXEMPT.
Minister of Interior Travel Jay Carney has decided car travel is not such a good idea. Wish this was satire.
Obamacare will have a big impact on those who travel a lot for work. The companies are going to have to get additional coverage or self-insure.
The other market that will be very much hurt is the real estate market - especially the second home market. People who are most likely to own second homes are middle-aged and they’re going to think twice about risking vacations with no coverage.
“The other market that will be very much hurt is the real estate market -”
I’ve posted before that the actual insurance cost and the expense of copays for a bronze plan is WAY more than I ever spent on a mortgage. Some are at $12,000 per year. (I think I’ve paid up to $6,800, but Florida is cheap.) But $12k is a nice new car every two years. So, real-estate and large purchases of any type will be subordinated to health care costs. Think of the hit to the economy.
Also, flat screen TV’s and maybe even things like cable TV and possibly cell phones will go by the wayside. Forget about private schooling. We’ll all be serfs to pay the health care tax.
Bona fide emergencies are covered anywhere in the country. On many plans urgent care is as well.
Bona fide emergencies? The insurance companies will be defining what is truly a bona fide emergency and what is not.
Recently I had a stomach flu. First time ever in my entire life. It was NOT considered an emergency even though after 3 days I ended up at the hospital and needed an IV to re-hydrate.
The definition is clearly spelled out in federal administrative rulings. You would have an open and shut lawsuit against the provider and/or insurance company if those rules were violated.
I have also been in the hospital for re-hydration, several times, and of those one occasions one was categorized as emergent care. I couldn't get up and passed out in the ambulance en-route, had hypotension, etc.
Unfortunately, many medical situations you and I consider personal emergencies are not under federal rules. But the providers and insurance companies can not play games with these definitions and ordinarily do not.
We had a patient who rolled his car and his hand got caught between the roof and the pavement. Kaiser insisted he drive himself to their facility. They would not give him a waiver despite the fact he was in the mountains and would have to drive a car that no longer existed. Welcome to government medicine.
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