Posted on 03/04/2010 3:25:48 PM PST by tobyhill
As we reported earlier,in his pop-in on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's meeting with top health insurance company executives, the president read a letter from a Ohio woman to make a point.
At the briefing this afternoon, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs read the December 2009 letter, from Natoma Canfield of Medina, Ohio.
ABC News spoke with Canfield this afternoon.
Born and raised in Medina, she told us she’s a cleaning woman and her insurance company was Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Ohio – the company that just announced sizable premium hikes all over the country despite its parent company having made almost $5 billion in profits in 2009.
“I just could not afford it,” Canfield told us. “I went into debt trying to keep coverage when it was $500 a month, and I couldn’t do it anymore at $700 a month.”
Messages for Kim Ashley, the communications director of Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Ohio, were not immediately returned.*
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...
ping
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/3923.57
(A) Pre-existing conditions provisions shall not exclude or limit coverage for a period beyond twelve months following the policyholder’s effective date of coverage and may only relate to conditions during the six months immediately preceding the effective date of coverage.
The longer they drag this out with these idiotic sob stories, the worse they look. Control is all they want. The power to choose who lives and dies is their ultimate goal and believe me, when they have it, they will use it. Just look at Obama buying votes for this. You don’t think he will buy votes by allowing you to live or die??? This has nothing to do with health care...it is a power grab and the power of life and death.
50 year old female $2500 deductible, $30 copay, Medina, Ohio, $235.48 month.
I'm not getting what her point is.
I am sure we have paid more than 20 grand in car insurance over the years and (thank God) never received a penny back. Why doesnt Obama decide that the auto insurance system "is broke" and "in crisis"? Same thing with fire insurance; been paying for years but (again, thank God) have never had one of our homes go on fire.
Are RATS unable to understand the concept of insurance? It's not a guarantee of return on "investment."
H at one time or another all of us have had a beef with our ins companies.
OBAMANOMICS—TRICKLE DOWN DESTRUCTION of the economy
Bambi doesn’t keep his promises...so buyer beware!
SET THEIR LOCAL AND DC LINES ON FIRE!
PLEASE ASK THEM TO REPEAL THE BIG NEW FEES in TRICARE for Life, the retired Military over 65 secondary health ins. which they passed in a DOD bill. They promised our Military these benefits, and our Military have earned them.
Sen Scott Brown’s number is 202-224-4543
Capitol Hill switchboard is 202-224-3121
Lots of local demwit phone numbers on this thread
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2408217/posts
Rename, repackage, rewrite it a tad smaller, and sell another pig in a poke. NO COLAs for granny, retired Military or retired fed employees. BIG NEW fees for Tricare for Life retired over 65 Military’s secondary health ins. (DOD bill already passed, delayed but goes into effect 2011 NEEDS TO BE REPEALED!
OBAMA’s WAR ON SENIORS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2433867/posts/
New Dem mantra: Woof, woof eat dog food granny....ala let them eat cake.
Obama says slight fix will extend Social Security, http://townhall.com/news/us/2010/02/19/obama_says_slight_fix_will_extend_social_security
Health Care Rationing for Seniors Another Problem in New Obama Plan http://www.lifenews.com/bio3058.html
Medicare tax may apply to investment income (ObamaCare tax hike)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2460988/posts
Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/28/obama.health.care/index.html
Will healthcare reform mean cuts in Medicare for seniors?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2009/1017/will-healthcare-reform-mean-cuts-in-medicare-for-seniors
Health Reform’s Hidden Victims Young people and seniors would pay a high price for ObamaCare.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574306303720472842.html
SOCIALIZED MED THREAD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2463709/posts
MILITARY & Retired MILITARY
TRI CARE FOR LIFE This from a google search:
http://economicspolitics.blogspot.com/2009/05/tricare-for-life-is-obama-trying-to.html
This option would help reduce the costs of TFL, as well as costs for Medicare, by introducing minimum out-of pocket requirements for beneficiaries. Under this option, TFL would not cover any of the first $525 of an enrollee’s cost-sharing liabilities for calendar year 2011 and would limit coverage to 50 percent of the next $4,725 in Medicare cost sharing that the beneficiary incurred. (Because all further cost sharing would be covered by TFL, enrollees could not pay more than $2,888 in cost sharing in that year.) http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/12-18-HealthOptions.pdf
Bill Would Restrict Veterans’ Health Care Options 11/06/09
Buyer and McKeon Offer Amendments to Protect Veterans and TRICARE Beneficiaries
Congress plans to block Tricare fee increases
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w/
By Rick Maze - Staff writer, Oct 7, 2009
Tricare fee increases imposed last week by the Defense Department will be repealed by a provision of the compromise 2010 defense authorization bill unveiled Wednesday by House and Senate negotiators.
The fee increases were announced on Sept. 30 and took effect on Oct. 1, but the defense bill, HR 2647, includes a provision barring any fee increases until the start of fiscal 2011.
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Bill Matz, president of the National Association for Uniformed Services, said the announcement of fee increases was shocking considering that the Obama administration promised earlier this year to hold off on any new fee Tricare fee increases until fiscal 2011.
“President Obama and DoD assured NAUS and the entire military family earlier this year that there would rightly be no increases in any Tricare fees” in fiscal 2010, Matz said. “We took them at their word, and I can’t believe that a co-pay increase like this was allowed to go forward,” he added.
“(A) Pre-existing conditions provisions shall not exclude or limit coverage for a period beyond twelve months following the policyholder’s effective date of coverage and may only relate to conditions during the six months immediately preceding the effective date of coverage. “
Yeah...you used to be able to avoid any exclusions due to pre-existing conditions by showing a certificate of creditable coverage. As long as the certificate showed no gap in coverage, they couldn’t deny coverage for pre-existing conditions on new policies. That’s why I always stressed with my sons that they should NEVER allow a lapse in coverage!
I’m not sure when things changed, but apparently, even if you never let your insurance lapse, never have a gap in coverage, they can still put a rider on your new policy which excludes the pre-existing condition for one year. My son’s rider page doesn’t even indicate the exclusion is limited to one year, even though that’s the law.
Why am I not surprised? Oh...and this beats all:
“Your Health Insurance policy cannot be cancelled because you get sick.”
LOL, they don’t cancel the policy, just exclude the sickness!
“Ohio Health Insurance companies must renew
your policy as long as the premium payments are paid up to date. “
LOL, so, they jack up the premium to a gazillion dollars to get rid of you.
Aggghhh...I worked in insurance tooooo long!
Insurance: a necessary EVIL.
Oh...and from what I read...the woman in the story isn’t complaining about pre-existing conditions or lack of coverage as indicated in the code you cited.....It sounds to me like she’s still covered but she’s complaining it won’t be for much longer because she just can’t afford to pay the newly jacked up premium....which they do just to get rid of ya...like I said....IMO, it’s an evil industry.
Sorry, but I get what her point is. If the insurance company has only had to pay out $935.32 in claims for her....how are they justifying such a HUGE increase in her premium?
This has nothing to do with health care...it is a power grab and the power of life and death.”
head on nail....how do I wish that the general public understood what this is REALLY all about!! If it were about all those poor uninsured Americans, they would be focusing on expanding coverage for just the uninsured...not taking over the whole dang country’s health insurance....so....in order to justify taking over the whole dang country’s health insurance, they had to turn the insurance companies into the evildoers.
It’s a “problem” with companies that got too big, like the oil companies. Now they make a small percentage profit, but it sounds like a lot of money when you say it.
First, the states already regulate the insurance industry.
Second, If there is a loophole that is allowing the company to jack her rates up that much then there's remedies for that without changing a whole system.
Third, I'm still not buying her whole story.
I'm wondering if this lady is not referring to a 3 month policy and not a 1 month. Based on what I found a three month policy for her age, company, area, would be $706.44.
What you say makes sense, but perhaps she has shopped around and is getting the best premium she can for someone with cancer. Maybe the $706.44 you found is the premium for someone without cancer? Or, perhaps she is unable to shop around if, like in my son’s story, a new policy would have a ‘rider’ excluding her from coverage on the cancer for the first year. They’d have to find a loop hole since she’s been cancer free for so long, but that would be taking a huge risk...if she had a relapse, she’d be screwed...could be that not even her medication would be covered for the first year. What’s scary to me is....yeah, even if they come up with some way to prevent them from ‘denying’ you a policy, what if insurance companies decide to put year-long riders on all new policies for people with diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, etc.? In which case, it might be difficult to find one who won’t add a rider, even if we’re allowed to shop across state lines. Could be it would be like the cost of gas...you know...where they are all in kahootz and charge very close to the same price/gallon. As you can see, I don’t know that much about these things...seems to me like competition has no affect on the price of gasoline.
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