Myths on healthcare

[ar81]

I got this letter from White House.
I will put in several posts, because of forum character limitations.

Dear Friend,

This is probably one of the longest emails I’ve ever sent, but it could be the most important.

Across the country we are seeing vigorous debate about health insurance reform. Unfortunately, some of the old tactics we know so well are back — even the viral emails that fly unchecked and under the radar, spreading all sorts of lies and distortions.

As President Obama said at the town hall in New Hampshire, “where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed.”

So let’s start a chain email of our own. At the end of my email, you’ll find a lot of information about health insurance reform, distilled into 8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage, 8 common myths about reform and 8 reasons we need health insurance reform now.

Right now, someone you know probably has a question about reform that could be answered by what’s below. So what are you waiting for? Forward this email.

Thanks,
David

David Axelrod
Senior Adviser to the President

P.S. We launched Get the facts about the stability and security you get from health insurance reform | Health Insurance Reform Reality Check this week to knock down the rumors and lies that are floating around the internet. You can find the information below, and much more, there. For example, we've just added a video of Nancy-Ann DeParle from our Health Reform Office tackling a viral email head on. Check it out:

[ar81]

8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage

1. Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
2. Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.
3. Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.
4. Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
5. Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.
6. Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.
7. Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.
8. Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

Learn more and get details: Health Insurance Consumer Protections

[ar81]

8 common myths about health insurance reform

1. Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it: It’s a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.
2. We can’t afford reform: It's the status quo we can't afford. It’s a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.
3. Reform would encourage "euthanasia": It does not. It’s a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions.
4. Vets' health care is safe and sound: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.
5. Reform will benefit small business - not burden it: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.
6. Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It’s myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare "doughnut" hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.
7. You can keep your own insurance: It’s myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.
8. No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts. Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose. Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make.

Learn more and get details:
Get the facts about the stability and security you get from health insurance reform | Health Insurance Reform Reality Check
Frequently Asked Questions about Health Insurance Reform | Health Insurance Reform Reality Check

[ar81]

8 Reasons We Need Health Insurance Reform Now

1. Coverage Denied to Millions: A recent national survey estimated that 12.6 million non-elderly adults – 36 percent of those who tried to purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company in the individual insurance market – were in fact discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the previous three years or dropped from coverage when they became seriously ill. Learn more: Coverage Denied: How the Current Health Insurance System Leaves Millions Behind
2. Less Care for More Costs: With each passing year, Americans are paying more for health care coverage. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster than wages. In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job. Americans pay more than ever for health insurance, but get less coverage. Learn more: Hidden Costs of Health Care Report
3. Roadblocks to Care for Women: Women’s reproductive health requires more regular contact with health care providers, including yearly pap smears, mammograms, and obstetric care. Women are also more likely to report fair or poor health than men (9.5% versus 9.0%). While rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are similar to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from headaches and are more likely to experience joint, back or neck pain. These chronic conditions often require regular and frequent treatment and follow-up care. Learn more: Roadblocks to Health Care
4. Hard Times in the Heartland: Throughout rural America, there are nearly 50 million people who face challenges in accessing health care. The past several decades have consistently shown higher rates of poverty, mortality, uninsurance, and limited access to a primary health care provider in rural areas. With the recent economic downturn, there is potential for an increase in many of the health disparities and access concerns that are already elevated in rural communities. Learn more: Health Care and the Rural Economy
5. Small Businesses Struggle to Provide Health Coverage: Nearly one-third of the uninsured – 13 million people – are employees of firms with less than 100 workers. From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. Much of this decline stems from small business. The percentage of small businesses offering coverage dropped from 68% to 59%, while large firms held stable at 99%. About a third of such workers in firms with fewer than 50 employees obtain insurance through a spouse. Learn more: Small Businesses Struggle to Provide Health Coverage
6. The Tragedies are Personal: Half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partly the result of medical expenses. The typical elderly couple may have to save nearly $300,000 to pay for health costs not covered by Medicare alone. Learn more: Escalating Health Care Costs
7. Diminishing Access to Care: From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. An estimated 87 million people - one in every three Americans under the age of 65 - were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008. More than 80% of the uninsured are in working families. Learn more: Diminishing Access to Care
8. The Trends are Troubling: Without reform, health care costs will continue to skyrocket unabated, putting unbearable strain on families, businesses, and state and federal government budgets. Perhaps the most visible sign of the need for health care reform is the 46 million Americans currently without health insurance - projections suggest that this number will rise to about 72 million in 2040 in the absence of reform. Learn more: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/assets/doc...are_Report.pdf

[WelfarestateChild]

I sense frequent on-going bailouts of the insurance companies if this legislation takes hold.

[WelfarestateChild]

Thats bailout with your tax dollars, or through printing new dollars and spending them. Each option will diminish your purchasing power

[WelfarestateChild]

Originally Posted by Strem2

Please, don't just make things up because you think that's the way that life ought to be. The insurance companies in America rescind people's contracts as soon as the person gets sick -- unless they are part of a large enough group that your group has clout with them. If you are an individual, and you develop breast cancer or high blood pressure, they cut you off -- in spite of what their contract says!

I was trying to find a resonable explanation for your dissatisfaction with the insurance companies. But it turns out it is completely ilegitimate.
I take it contracts come up for renewal every once in a while. This is where you have the option to opt out, but the same goes for the insurance company. What is the problem?

Instead of putting this blind trust on the insurance company, to insure you always and forever against every ilness, the money is better spent in a savings account. You know, for unforseeable events such as you or a relative falling ill.

But wait, healthcare is very expensive in america i hear. So saving up on your own, even though your on the middle class is just not feesable. Why dont you spend some time and energy figuring out why? It hasnt always been like that.

Originally Posted by Strem2

Where the consumer has a problem, is when they take your premiums for 10 or more years, and when you get sick, they cut you off. -- Don't you think that this is a little bit unethical? Just a tiny bit? They are in the risk business, and should honor their contracts.

Instead of putting this blind trust on the insurance company, the money is better spent in a savings account. You know, for unforseeable events such as you or a relative falling ill.

Originally Posted by Strem2

If they have a contract with a business, to insure ALL their employees, then they need to honor that contract.

No one is forcing them to write those contracts. It's up to them. But the new rules won't let them kick people out for getting sick, and it won't let them exclude anyone who has a previous condition. Too bad. If they don't want to write business to insure all of IBM or all of Citibank, they don't have to. But if they do write that contract, the government will make them keep to their contract from now on.

They are in the risk measuring buisness.
If an insurance company do not wish to take you as their customer - i take it your motive is to get protection because you recognise the expensive nature of healthcare in the US - then instead of being upset and focusing your time and energy on bashing the company for not taking you, you should find out why healthcare has become so expensive. There are ways suggested to make healthcare affordable again, you should start by taking a look in the "REAL healthcare reform" thread, it could set you of on an impressive journey.

Originally Posted by Strem2

I thought that you thought that people are good, and will operate from a good motive. Are you now rescinding that and saying that people are basically thieves?

Im saying people will want to do less for more. And that in a society with a tool to legitimately take other peoples property, it will be used for this.

Originally Posted by Strem2

Even if you are saying that, it doesn't matter. The US health reform bill is not for national health care. The public option is a fair cost health insurance that those who wish can buy into. We assume that young people, (who can't afford more expensive insurance,) other people who have changed jobs and can't get insurance because of pre-existing conditions, those who have witnessed the way the private insurance companies indescriminately cut people off, and those who work for small companies that can't get affordable insurance because they don't have a large enough group to make the private insurance companies give them a fair price, are the ones who will join.

We are not talking about free insurance, and we're not talking about anyone else paying for you. Stop saying that. It has nothing to do with this bill.

I can already imagine how people will come to this mystical insurance savior in droves. It sounds like nothing but a pyramid scheme, which will build up huge liabilities like medicare and medicaid.
Those kinds of policies is what is painting a wrong picture of what insurance companies are supposed to do. It also diverts attention from the real problem which is rediculous prices on healthcare, courtesy of government.

Originally Posted by Strem2

So, let's not do that. We're not talking about controlling people.

From the second post in this thread:
"# Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick."

That is controlling people.

Originally Posted by Strem2

That's what I'm talking about. The private companies are not doing that, so the populace has asked their representatives in government to come up with a solution.

The populace has been mislead, and are asking the guys that created the problem to fix it, which inevitably will lead to other problems which can then be "fixed". Its the perfect crime.

Originally Posted by Strem2

Look, are you self employed?

In the US, if you are employed, your employer with holds your taxes based on a table. If you have deductions, you get money back.

If you don't have deductions, you don't. Unless you are very wealthy with your own company or you live on investments you're not going to be able to refuse to pay. So are you very wealthy? Spend a little money on a lawyer and he'll find deductions for you....

I find it strange that you object to taxes. Didn't you, a little while ago, suggest that a group of several million people ought to be able to get their roads fixed and their bridges mended? Well, we did figure a way. We pay taxes to a government that takes care of those things. We each pay a little bit, and all those things are taken care of....

If you don't like that way, then go somewhere else.... Oh, yeah, you are somewhere else....

Since roads and bridges are paid for by you and me, it would be entirely possible without the government.

[Strem2]

I won't read something that starts with

I was trying to find a resonable explanation for your dissatisfaction with the insurance companies. But it turns out it is completely ilegitimate.

I thought you were the defender of corporations.... Guess not.

Instead of putting this blind trust on the insurance company, the money is better spent in a savings account. You know, for unforseeable events such as you or a relative falling ill.

[AlexL]

A very healthy debate going on here. As a primary care physician at an academic hospital who spent seven years as the medical director of primary care I recognize just how unqualified I am to thoroughly analyze many of the suggestions I'm seeing put forth to improve our system, much less anyone who doesn't study health care systems for a living. Not that many of the ideas presented here aren't good ones. But to solve a problem you first have to understand it thoroughly. I'd like to offer to this discussion a post called "A Prescription For The Health Care Crisis" I just put up on my own blog. I'd be interested in getting reactions to it either in this forum or on my blog.

Happiness in this World » A Prescription For The Health Care Crisis

[WelfarestateChild]

Originally Posted by Strem2

I won't read something that starts with

I thought you were the defender of corporations.... Guess not.

I was spending way too much time on you anyway.

Hey, and please dont edit sentences when you qoute them

[kwicherbichen]

Your email is seriously scary... "Dear Friend"...

The white house website requests that we email them if we witness someomne bad-talking the health-care reform.

This is seriously EERIE!!

[ar81]

There is nothing scary.
It is a white house bulletin.
Have you ever suscribed to any bulletin in the past?

What seems scary to me is to see people who have health problems and no hope of getting the proper health care they need.

I am familiar with non US health care system planning.
I see that what Obama proposes is good. It has worked in UK.
Believe you me that I had seen that Obama proposals were senseless, or irrational, I would have been the first to oppose. But Obama proposals make sense, even if they go against the microeconomical ideology that caused this mess. Ideology won't save lives, reform will.

There is no point in defending a country if you let your fellow citizens to die because of lack of health care.

[Strem2]

Originally Posted by kwicherbichen

Your email is seriously scary... "Dear Friend"...

The white house website requests that we email them if we witness someomne bad-talking the health-care reform.

This is seriously EERIE!!

Hi. Where does the letter ask us to email them? All I see is a request to forward the truth to anyone who might have questions.... Perhaps my eyes are a little tired from too much time online.

[ar81]

Rumors come up from uncertainty.
Those version about rationing health care anddeath panels, made me think as if ill citizens were to be sent to to Guantanamo.
Rumors need official communication, because rumors come out from lack of information that causes uncertainty.

If I was the president I might like to know about poisoning rumors, so they can be refuted and clarified.

[kwicherbichen]

Originally Posted by Strem2

Hi. Where does the letter ask us to email them? All I see is a request to forward the truth to anyone who might have questions.... Perhaps my eyes are a little tired from too much time online.

Ew, stop acting like you know so much ****. Go read the bulletin on the white house website. I'm not talking about the email in this thread.

And I am not saying Obama's proposal is unreasonable. I just think these messages are EERIE. 1984-ish.

[Strem2]

Originally Posted by kwicherbichen

Ew, stop acting like you know so much ****. Go read the bulletin on the white house website. I'm not talking about the email in this thread.

And I am not saying Obama's proposal is unreasonable. I just think these messages are EERIE. 1984-ish.

It's a big website!

I'm flattered that you think "I know so much" but I can't find the bulletin you're speaking about. Please give us a link to it.