This is the ONE issue I have with the conservative stance on healthcare. Especially with people losing their jobs left and right.
My mom had insurance through her employer. She was diagnosed with cancer, stage IV. In order to get her disability insurance, she had to quit her job, not just be out on leave. However by quitting her job, she had to move to COBRA which was nearly triple the cost.
Now I know that is not someone else’s problem, but when I see my own family torn up in this case, I know how it must feel with jobs being lost everyday.
So, I’m interested in a conservative plan as well. I do think there are some good ideas in a risk pool type plan like they have for auto insurance and property insurance. But those plans are extremely expensive due to the high risk, and you are right back where you were before.
There does seem to be a need, overhauling the healthcare isn’t the answer. But with unemployment as it is, interstate health insurance sales isn’t going to do very much right now.
I have the same concerns. My son was diagnosed with Type 1 (autoimmune) diabetes when he turned 10. At 15 he was diagnosed with Selective IGA Deficiency and as immunocompromised due to chronic infections.
In Texas, for a 25 year old male with these conditions to be covered it cost $3,000 a MONTH. (I called for the quote.)
At the moment, he’s only 16 and he’s covered until he’s 21 by our insurance if he stays in college. But I’m scared to death about his future.
In a year, I’m going to start working with his dr and a lawyer to have him declared disabled and get him on SS and medicaid. He can’t go 30 days without an infection and he’s hospitalized about once a year with this crap, so I’m having trouble seeing him maintaining a job. (Heck, we’re fighting to get him through high school.)
Prayer is great, but G-d helps he who helps himself. Conservatives need to find a solution.
One easy fix would be to loosen the definition of “disability” to allow more people coverage under SS and Medicaid. Or to make it illegal to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions.
There. I suppose those are my Conservative suggestions to fix this issue.
It is triple the cost because her employer paid the other two thirds.
There was something in the stimulus bill that gave credits to her former employer for the the COBRA payments for a period of time.
COBRA is dirt cheap now, I heard!!