President Obama's healthcare plan has an extra cherry on top that's falling off the sundae. There is a dramatically lower number of people who have signed up for this plan. The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance plan is for people who have had trouble getting insurance or medical help because of a previous medical condition, such as diabetes. If someone gets into the plan, they can recieve health insurance at the same price that a normally healthy person would pay. This particular plan will last until 2014--then a new law requiring acceptance of all applicants regardless of any medical conditions comes into play. However, some state officials have pointed out some potential problems. 1) It may be too expensive 2) The requirement that an applicant has to have been uninsured for at least six months is not actually met by a large number of citizens--it is very hard to locate papers that state they've been turned down by an insurance company 3) The high annual deductible. Anyone in the plan needs to pay approximately $2500 a year before they can recieve coverage for prescription drugs.
I think in theory this is a good idea! It is ridiculous that someone who needs help cannot recieve it because they have diabetes, or once had a yeast infection. Insurance companies need to do their job and give the assistance they are pledged to give. Obama is on the right track with trying to give insurance to everyone regardless of any other conditions they might have, but if the "experts" think this isn't going to work, now what? Perhaps these brilliant minds can come up with ways to smooth out the three problems mentioned above. This is a GOOD IDEA. It is despicable that someone with cancer must face the decision to either undergo chemo or go into debt. Their life with financial ruin or no treatment and a greater chance of dying? What kind of country are we that we would be okay with forcing someone to make such a decision? The officials and experts that are pointing out all the holes in this plan would do well do offer ways to patch them so this can become an affordable reality.
Sarah I agree with your opinions. I also think Obama is on the right track with his health care plan and although I don't know all the details of it,from what I know it seems to be a good plan. Much better than the one we have now at least. I remember watching the movie "Sicko" last year in Senior Social and I was shocked at how people with any kind of pre-exisitng condition as minor as headaches could be turned down by insurance companies. I also remember a man they interviewed who had been in an accident and both his middle and ring finger were cut in half. To repair them it was extremely expensive and he was forced to chose which finger he wanted repaired. I also remember the stats that there are 50 million people who don't have health insurance and 18,000 of them die each year. How can this be happening in the United States, a country that is suppose to be one of the wealthiest and strongest nations of the world? Obviously, there is something wrong with our current health care system. I commend President Obama in all his hard work he has put in to try to put an end to this unjust treatment. I'm excited that in his health care plan one of the policies is that insurance companies can't drop you because of a pre-exisitng condition. I would assume most people would agree with me on this, but there must be major flaws in the bill too since so many people are upset. What I hope is that in Congress both the democrats and republicans can somehow decide with the President how to keep the good parts of the bill and get rid of the parts that make people upset.It seems to me most Republican's plans are to just not get sick, while at least Obama was trying his very hardest to create a system where everyone can have the health care they deserve. There's no doubt they'll be much more discussion on this topic, and I hope that something can be worked out where both sides can compromise a little and find a plan that makes everyone happy.
ReplyDelete~Rachel A.