Posted on 09/19/2009 1:08:17 PM PDT by STARWISE
A proposal to make preexisting health conditions irrelevant in the sale of insurance policies could help not just the seriously ill but also people who might consider themselves healthy, documents released Friday by a California-based advocacy group illustrate.
Health insurers have issued guidelines saying they could deny coverage to people suffering from such conditions as acne, hemorrhoids and bunions.
One big insurer refused to issue individual policies to police officers and firefighters, along with people in other hazardous occupations.
Some treated pregnancy or the intention to adopt as a reason for rejection.
*snip*
Kristin E. Binns, a spokeswoman for parent company WellPoint, said by e-mail that she could not comment on the guidelines because they are from years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
You are aware that insurance is a product that you aren't required to purchase and that to the extent that your options are limited, they are so limited because of your state government. Right?
When my daughter-in-law told me the cost of my last grandchild, my mouth dropped, and that doesn't happen very often...
Wait, what would have happened in the case of a premature birth?
LOL! You shouldn’t drink and post.
Don't know, mine was not premature. But he was small only 5 pounds 14 oz...
That was not a post of a sober conservative, especially in these times.
I think law suits are responsible for doctors charges going up because they have to carry more insurance themselves...But hospital charges have seemed a bit excessive but then as you say, there is much improvement in what services hospital offer...
But we have all heard of the 60 dollar aspirin in the hospital...I was a nurse and worked in the hospital for 10 years before becoming a goat herder..(that sure does sound strange) but thats why I retired..
City hospitals took the uninsured and now I think the government mandates every hospital has to...so there is much (dead wood) that the insurance companies have to pay for..that ups everyone's premiums..
I am not trying to stick up for the hospitals or insurance companies, but government meddling is what screwed up much of the problems we see today..They started big time in the 70's determining what a doctor must charge for a procedure.
For instance: I was talking with one of our gastroenterologist and asked him how things were working out....This was his answer:
I charge $250.00 for a gastrostopy, the government says it will pay 80% of the charge and the cost was 350.00. The remaining 20% to be paid by the patient...Most doctors would tell you that they would take whatever the insurance would pay, BECAUSE the price the government put on the services allowed were much higher than the average doctor already charged. 80% of the higher charges were a raise for the doctors...
80% of $350.00 was $274.00. The doctor only charged 250 before the government came in an dictated to them.. Hope this is not too complicated. I sometimes describe something a bit garbled..
My wife is an EM M.D., so I’m well versed in exactly what the government has done to destroy health care.
Yep the government is a pip isn’t it.....They screw it up and then come in to fix it......
“The insurance industry is evil incarnate. I truly believe the people working in the industry are either agents of Satan or stupid greedy fools.
I can only hope their spot in hell reflects the pain and suffering they have inflicted on so many.. “
Your comments on the evil incarnates is needed over here:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2345528/posts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.