I know I know...It stops insurers from dropping you due to pre-existing conditions. Fantastic! What else?
Both bills call for the creation of insurance exchanges that help people buy coverage.
Mmm...sounds good. The fine prints...not so much.
Honestly, until we get answers to these questions, I am not sure this bill is worth supporting and it actually might make things worse.
This AP article
http://m.yahoo.com/... ( I know, not really liked around here but occasionally has good stuff), describes and shows what has a lot of people worried.
" The bill imposes hefty new taxes and coverage rules that will pinch insurers by forcing them to cover more sick people without gaining enough healthy, lower-cost customers, industry insiders say.The industry is also worried the bill doesn't do enough to control health care costs"
Not good.
"People without insurance would be required to buy into those exchanges-- in some cases, subsidies will help them pay for it -- or face fines if they don't. Insurers, in turn, would no longer be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or cancer.
But the proposed fines are too weak and the subsidies too meager to truly motivate people to buy insurance....
This means the people most motivated to buy coverage through these exchanges will be those who already have health problemms.
Insurers need a mix of healthy people enrolled in their coverage to help balance out claims they pay for patients who use more insurance."
Also, "Older people often have to pay more because they tend to generate more claims. But the Senate bill limits how much more insurers can charge older customers " which is good in BUT " That means people under age 30 likely will see a "substantial increase" in the cost of a policy -- making them less inclined to buy insurance -- while older people will see a smaller decrease, said Brad Fluegel, chief strategy and external affairs officer for WellPoint Inc ., the nation's largest health insurer based on membership.
And of course,
"The stock market no longer seems worried. Shares of the five argest managed care companies have risen more than 120 percent, on average, since they bottomed out in early March. In contrast, the Standard & Poor's 500 index has increased about 63 percent over the same span.
Investors had big worries when the debate picked up steam last spring, but stocks started climbing as they realized "doomsday scenarios" such as a government takeover would not happen Funtleyder said."
I don't know people, doesn't look like a good healthcare reform bill to me....
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks.