Today I clicked an ad on the NY Times- something I rarely do unless the Tiffany jewels beckon me. I was attracted by the flashing red brassiere and the headline:
Save our Mammograms.
Wow, I thought. American Cancer Society wants me to contact my Senator about the HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE MODERNIZATION AND AFFORDABILITY ACT (HIMMA) bill S. 1955. American Cancer Society- these are my peeps! They ask and I do their bidding. Why are they worried about mammograms? I thought everyone agreed mammograms and PAP smears and colonoscopies save lives through early detection and treatment of cancer. Who would be against that?
I followed the diary guidelines and discovered this topic has been blogged, and covered nicely, by
GordonNC. I recommend you read that diary too. Unfortunately there were only 3 comments on this important topic when it was posted Monday at 4:30, so it may have slipped under our radar.
I will share my perspective as a small business owner, since this ill-conceived bill is designed to reduce insurance costs for people like me by up to 30% by simplifying my insurance.
HIMMA is designed to make insurance more affordable for small business owners by "modernizing" the requirements imposed by states for insurance plans. Currently states offer a patchwork of local requirements for group insurance plans,and big insurance companies find it hard to manage these many state requirements. (Ever hear of computers, guys?)
According to the National Association of Manufacturers (don't forget to turn the light off when the last one leaves for China) HIMMA is
a process intended to create greater uniformity in the current costly and competition-inhibiting hodgepodge of varying state health insurance regulation.
What kinds of insurance rules are states requiring that cost so much?
Well, that insurance plans pay for PAP smears, mammograms, colonoscopies, birth control, maternity care. You know, the luxuries many insurance plans feel we could do without. Amazing how many of those luxuries involve women's health issues, but men would get short-changed here too.
This bill will take away health coverage benefits for many people, rather than making it more affordable. As a small business owner seeking to provide insurance for my employees, I get to chose from a variety of plans. I would like to make a cost effective choice, of course. What this legislation would do is allow insurance carriers to "dupe" me into buying a lower cost choice to save money- a no-frills Wal-Mart level health insurance bill. Small business owners like me use the same insurance the workers get. I don't want to pay for a cut-rate plan that makes all the prevention an option I must pay for myself, but which is promoted as "cheaper." This might be cheaper initially, but eventually you get what you pay for. I am likely to find my insurance package costs a little less and delivers a lot less. Anyone remember cable TV degregulation? My cable bill didn't go down.
The insurance company can opt out of "mandates" as long as it discloses it is doing so. What is a mandate? Something 45 of 50 states agree should be covered. So unless 92% of states think something is important, tough luck.
Who things this is a good idea?
Sen. Michael Enzi [R-WY]
Sen. Conrad Burns [R-MT]
Sen. Richard Burr [R-NC]
Sen. Larry Craig [R-ID]
Sen. Ben Nelson [D-NE]
Sen. Pat Roberts [R-KS]
Who thinks it is a bad idea? Lots of medical groups
including the American Cancer Society and Planned Parenthood.
39 State Attorneys' General.
The State Insurance Commissioners' from California, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, New Jersey, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin have written opposition letters. Lots of big insurance plans oppose this program as well. These hypocritical states rights conservatives would ride rough-shod over 1000 state laws. They would return to outmoded state insurance requirements.
Sounds like another "reform" like the ones for social security and energy. Big profits for insurance industry who get to cherry pick which healthcare they consider "affordable" for your. And they will argue it is for your own good, since you can't afford health insurance now.
So please, write your senators and ask them to give us real health care reform, not a give-away program like the energy bill.
