PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS
I got a call from an old friend the other day. She needed my help with something. I told her to stop by the office any time. Well, the day came and after exchanging the usual pleasantries she got down to the heart of the matter at hand.
For several months now she has been trying to get health insurance. (She works full time for a small business that is unable to offer health care insurance to its employees.) Several different insurance companies have already turned her down because of pre-existing conditions. Of all the conditions she cited, only one sounded even remotely serious. And I should add that she had been insured in previous jobs by insurance companies that were well aware of these various conditions.
Finally, in desperation, she turned to an insurance broker who specialized in finding health insurance for people. (I gather a whole cottage industry has grown up around this need for health insurance.) I asked my friend if her situation struck the broker as unusual. Definitely not, she replied In fact, there were others who were having an even harder time than she was.
Two things struck me about her situation. First, some might say that a limited version of health care reform is not acceptable. Fine, but for a lot of people, half a loaf would very definitely be better than none.
Second, if there was a public option, she would presumably be able to get at least some kind of coverage giving that she was ready, willing and able to pay for it. And if there was a public option, maybe, just maybe, the other insurance companies would be a little less picky about who they provide coverage to.
I understand that the public option is probably not going to happen. I also know it is risky to read too much into the problems of one person, but this much is clear. There are a lot of hard working folks out there who for one reason or another find themselves without health insurance, mostly because where they work doesn't offer it. When that happens, they are basically screwed.
These people would benefit greatly from even a modest bill that addressed issues like pre-existing conditions. To those who think any kind of health care reform is bad, I urge you to think again. To those who feel that the only reform worth having is total reform, I urge you to think again.
August 31, 2009
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Tags:
Preexisting Condition
Health Insurance
Health Care Reform
