American Buddhist Net

Health Insurance Rules May Cost You Your Life

American Buddhist Net News
Alvin Revere
July 31, 2008

Let's do a quick thought experiment.

Please consider the following situation--you either have or do not have health insurance.

Here's the question. You think you may have a medical problem: Should you go to a doctor for diagnosis and treatment?

If you do NOT have medical insurance, the answer in many or even most cases would be no because your visit may lead to an entry on your medical record showing that you now have high blood pressure, depression, or some other not-so-serious ailment. On the basis of this new record, you could very well be denied medical insurance in the future when your finances are in better order and you can afford it.

If you DO have medical insurance, the answer in many or even most cases would still be no because you might lose your job and your policy and thus find yourself in the position outlined above.

As long as you have group coverage and as long as you keep it, you are more or less fine. But once you lose your job or decide to become self-employed, you will find yourself--along with 18 million other Americans--shopping for an "individual" health insurance policy. And if you have any of a slew of medium-serious conditions, you may be considered "unisurable."

Don't believe it? Here's a story about How insurance companies dig up applicants' prescriptions--and use them to deny coverage. Or take a look at this for more specific information: Uninsurable Health Risks. Or this: High-risk pools for uninsurable individuals: recent growth, future prospects. Or this: Health Insurance Costs.

Thirty-four states currently have "high risk pools" to cover the almost 200,000 Americans who have been declared "uninsurable." In some states these pools work well, in some they are temporary (3-year limit in CA), in others their cost is prohibitively high, while in sixteen states they don't exist at all.

200,000 may not seem like a huge number, but add to that all of the people who went broke or declared bankruptcy due to health costs then went on the public dole and thus were removed from the record. Then add all the ones who just gave up looking and decided to live with whatever they had. How many of the 47 million Americans who are uninsured belong to this category? How many just die and clear the record that way?

So what's the best thing to do if you think you have something? If you are not lucky enough to have a friend who is a doctor that will treat you off-record, you may well be persuaded to diagnose and treat yourself for many/most ailments, especially if you ever intend to become self-employed or believe you may ever lose your job and thus your group policy. You will have to balance the possibility of becoming "uninsurable" with your sense of how serious your condition might be. Sometimes that works out OK, sometimes it doesn't.

Supposedly, the best way to take care of your health is prevention and early intervention. With the system we have now, the early intervention part is clearly broken.

Disclaimer: This is intended to be a thought piece on the politics of US health care and NOT professional medical advice. For that you need to see your doctor.