DIYbanter - View Single Post - OT-Obamas Healthcare

John R. Carroll[_3_]

wrote:
On Aug 11, 8:30 pm, "John R. Carroll" wrote:

Top Five Health Care Reform Lies
Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

The truth: These accusations-of "death panels" and forced
euthanasia-are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the
Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill."4
What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision,
supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a
professional medical counselor who will provide them with
information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older
Americans.5

A professional medical counselor will not do anything that will affect
anyones health. Therefore it should not be required to be covered by
insurance. It will just increase the cost of insurance and provide no
health benefit.

That's a real argument. The fact remains, however, that there are no "Death
Panels" in any version of any reform bill under consideration.

Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force
you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's
reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop
shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance
options.6 Included in the exchange is the public health insurance
option-a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers-that will
operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition
into the market to drive quality up and costs down.7

If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.8
But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of
businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many
who simply can't afford health care now.

If the government plan is subsidized by the government, it will be
more attractive to have than private insurance.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. IThis will depend a lot on what's covered.

And private insurance will disappear.

I doubt it. It's extremely unlikely that private health insurers will walk
away from such a large pool of cash.
You just don't know what it will look like. Neither do I but that is for the
industry to deal with.

Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious
aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing
conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender
discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.9 And
outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance
options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.

If the nefarious aspects as you term them are eliminated, healthcare
insurance will be more expensive. Bound to happen if yearly and
lifetime limits are eliminated.

The practices referred to are things like rescission. That, basically, is
legalized denial of care after collecting premiums.
The industry term is "Loss Prevention" and large bonus payments and big
salaries go to those that "prevent losses" succesfully and in sufficient
volume.

--
John R. Carroll