Why do conservatives want to deny people the right to make determinations regarding their own care?
Why do dems want to force ppl into gov't healthcare?
What good is private insurance?
Do you have private insurance? if so, when you signed on, had you honestly filled out your personal history, and not leave something out that was in your medical record?
I've been on private insurance since 1972 when I left a group plan. It has always been reasonably priced, until of late. My most recent policy, beginning in 2004 was $220.08 for a thousand deductible for, at the time, a 63 year old man. I had knee surgery at the end of the year at a private hospital, picked my own ortho-surgeon and the ins company paid all but $400. I wondered why they even took me in contract so close to Medicare, but they did, even after I'd mistakenly mistated an arthritic condition, for which they were going to deny me, until I explained that I was mistaken about medical terms I'd used. They verified and took me on when they could easily have turned me down. People should understand that health policies are contracts. They should understand that they have a responsibility as well as does the Company.
Insurance companies, for the most part - and there are exceptions - are honest expecting to fulfill their end of the agreement. They can accurately calculate the risks through actuarial averages, and be fairly certain of what their costs and incomes will be; at least until the next time the government interferes and they have to refigure, and end up raising rates on contingencies other than age that the government has mandated. I blame our government for most of the cost of increases in cost of insurance for healthcare, and for contributing to the feeling of hopelessness that causes people to not even get bids (people should always get several bids from a commercial insurance agency, not a big name insurer which also provides your car or home policy) or follow through with the purchase of a health insurance policy.
Americans are increasingly becoming wards of the state, unable to go out and look out for themselves. It would seem that there is a design to encourage that forlorn outcome.
Americans used to be shoppers, and knew how to make a purchase intelligently. They have been gradually convinced that they are victims, and that everything is just hopeless, so why try? Anyone considering buying health insurance should call a couple of commercial agents (agents who sell insurance to businesses) and ask if they have a dedicated agent for health care policies. Then ask how many companies policies they have. pick the best commercial agent, tell that agent about your situation, budget, and make an appointment to sit down and go over options. The agent will know which companies deny payments for services, or have the largest network of providers so that your doc will be in their network. Once you get the policy, read it; understand it, know how it works. It's at least as important as understanding how a big-screen tv works.