By Peggy Hathaway
Some people are fed up with health care reform (HCR) and think it may be just as well that Congress is deadlocked. The truth is, now is the absolute worst time to tune out from HCR, which in danger of becoming victim to petty partisan politics as the 2010 elections approach. If given a choice between doing what’s right for all Americans in terms of reform and doing what’s right for themselves in order to get re-elected, don’t kid yourself, our representatives in Congress definitely need our input to make the best choice.
Truth: Premiums for health insurance are rising at an alarming rate, which is hobbling the ability of the best of employers to provide health coverage to their employees. No matter how much an employer cares about its employees, if premiums increase by 20-30% per year, employers will have to provide less costly insurance—with less and worse coverage—or stop providing healthcare coverage at all. Where will those employees find affordable health insurance coverage? And at what cost? And will anyone with a pre-existing condition be able to find coverage at all? With either the Senate or House health care reform bills, those employees and some employers would be able to purchase health insurance through an insurance exchange.
Truth: Partisan and intraparty politics are so volatile this election year that even supposedly sure-thing elements of HCR such as outlawing liftetime caps and discrimination based on pre-existing conditions are in danger.
Truth: While health insurance premiums are soaring, health insurance policies are covering fewer services and squeezing doctors and other providers
For a true-life example, a long-established nonprofit, let’s call it “Caring Employer,” with just over 50 employees provided employee health insurance with a nationally recognized health insurer for several years. Because there were many physicians and other providers within the insurer’s network, most employees could see the doctors of their choice and the coverage was pretty good.
In September 2009, the insurer notified Caring Employer that the premium for the same coverage for the same number of employees for 2010 would increase by 30% per year! This increase was way beyond the means of Caring Employer.
Higher Costs—Less Coverage
After searching for the best possible alternative, Caring Employer eventually settled for another health insurer. Even as co-pays and deductibles in and out of the network increased, the premium increased by 21% over the previous year!
Despite the increased costs to both Caring Employer and its employees, now that employees are using the new coverage, they are discovering that many physicians and other providers are not in this network. One employee is paying the full fees for a trusted physician—now out-of-network—to figure out what is causing new debilitating symptoms in light of pre-existing conditions. That physician explained that his office had to drop out of the second insurer’s network because it paid such low fees to the physician and often failed to pay claims for covered services at all.
If you don’t want employers to be priced out of providing health insurance, and if you believe that people—with and without disabilities and other pre-existing conditions—should be able to buy affordable health insurance coverage that meets their needs, act now! Tell your Senators and Congressman/woman to stop the political blustering and enact health care reform now. Go to www.spinalcordadvocates.org and click on ActionCenter/Take Action.
