yossarian wrote:
You might think they are going to allow access for people with pre-existing conditions. Since they say they are:
"Ensure Access For Patients With Pre-Existing Conditions:"
But then you read after the colon and get this:
"Health care should be accessible for all, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illnesses. We will expand state high-risk pools, reinsurance programs and reduce the cost of coverage. We will make it illegal for an insurance company to deny coverage to someone with prior coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition, eliminate annual and lifetime spending caps, and prevent insurers from dropping your coverage just because you get sick. We will incentivize states to develop innovative programs that lower premiums and reduce the number of uninsured Americans."
Emphasis mine.
"Ensure Access For Patients With Pre-Existing Conditions:"
But then you read after the colon and get this:
"Health care should be accessible for all, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illnesses. We will expand state high-risk pools, reinsurance programs and reduce the cost of coverage. We will make it illegal for an insurance company to deny coverage to someone with prior coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition, eliminate annual and lifetime spending caps, and prevent insurers from dropping your coverage just because you get sick. We will incentivize states to develop innovative programs that lower premiums and reduce the number of uninsured Americans."
Emphasis mine.
My problem with this (and with the current healthcare reform bill as I understand it) is that they say nothing about making it affordable. Right now in Tennessee (probably other places, as well) insurance companies cannot deny someone coverage because of a pre-existing condition (if you've had prior insurance for the last 12 months, of course). However, they can (and do) rate the premium up so high that you can't afford it even when your deductibles and out-of-pocket amounts are ridiculously high.