Anyone tired of all of the presidential ads yet? Jeesh, we got four political postcards in the mail yesterday. Not to mention the constant bombardment of ads on television.
For me this election is easy. There's only one candidate talking about healthcare and I've certainly experienced many of the problems with healthcare.
Obama has been talking about eliminating pre-existing condition clauses on health insurance contracts. Of course he cannot do this without support from Congress. But just the fact that he's for this is all I need to hear.
Congress has already passed a measure which eliminated pre-existing condition clauses from group health insurance. But they stopped short. People who seek individual insurance have to deal with pre-existing condition clauses.
Pre-existing condition clauses basically mean that the health insurer does not have to insure any condition that existed before the individual opened their policy.
I was fortunate. I had my policy before I had my cancer. Even though Aetna still will not cover the costs of my chemotherapy if it's taken in a pill form. They will cover it if it's administered via IV at the hospital. Try to make logical sense of that.
Barb wasn't so fortunate. When Barb left her job to look after me we sought insurance for her. There was no insurance that would cover her for her pre-existing condition of epilepsy.
Most people have insurance through their employer and they don't know a whole lot about it. But once you've interacted and been involved with a health insurer it doesn't take long to get disgusted.
For me, I'm stuck. Because of my pre-existing condition my health insurer can do anything. I can't leave. I can't go anywhere else. If I tried to move to another insurance company I'd lose all my coverage for my cancer care costs.
Why would Congress protect folks in group policies but not individual policies? Why did they stop short?
If you need one reason to vote for Obama consider this - voting for Obama is voting for myself and Barb and our abilities to receive health insurance to cover the costs of our ongoing treatments. If you want to vote for McCain, that's your right of course. But you're leaving us without a chance to overcome our health insurance burdens.
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3 comments:
I understand the pre-existing condition thing but I think that is McCains goal as well. As long as you're ok with universal healthcare and hospitals being bombarded and never being able to get in, even if it's an emergency then that's fine. If everyone thinks the emergency room is bad now wait until we have universal health care. Ask Canada how they like theirs. Just food for thought. Have a good day!
Love,
Alyssa
I have to agree with Alyssa -- I had a ton of encounters with the poorest universal health care in the world when I had to deal with my aunt's health care in Canada. She could be seen by a specialist while in the hospital but once discharged, she could no longer see the cardiologist but some crazy hick of a doctor that didn't realize that he was giving her the same medicine twice a day instead of once a day which was the way it was suppose to be taken. In other words, her own doctor was overdosing her. It is a good thing I was there or she would have died from it. I had her power of attorney for years and let me tell you her health care was the pits. My cousin's daughter also in Canada is diabetic and very obese which would make her a high risk having children. When she did start her family, she was sent to a midwife and birthing center and not to a gynocologist. She had 3 children that way. She was not allowed to see a gynocologist. My cousin waited a full year before she could be scheduled for a knee replacement. Is this what you want??? Having health care for pre-existing conditions is a consideration that will never pass and I don't care what Obama promises. I know you have had issues with your insurance but that is the company not the system in general. There are also insurance companies that will cover pre-existing conditions.
I am so disappointed that you have decided to support this Obama character. I just don't think he can be trusted. Spreading the wealth like he is campaigning for is another form of welfare and a step up to socialism. Is communism far behind? I hope you take another close look at this guy. Do you really want the IRS in charge of where your money goes? Why won't he show his birth certificate? It is rumored that he was actually born in Kenya and not Hawaii -- where they cannot find his birth certificate. Is this true??? I don't trust him.
Frankly neither candidate is addressing the real issue in this country and it is not the health care system nor is it the economy or gas prices. What needs to be addressed is the morals and ethics of everybody from the top on down. It seems to be OK to murder, cheat, lie and steal in order to become a politician, or get ahead in this country. Once we straighten our our morals and ethics, we will have a better and stronger country.
I wish you well at the polls because without your vote or mine it seems the Obama has become a real pied piper and will be elected. I hope you get your health care. The military came out to support McCain and that is to be expected the same as it was not big surprise that Colin Powell is supporting Obama. Obama and Pelosi WOW!!! I would call that a jackpot I don't want to see happen. The AMA is also presenting a great insurance coverage program to our country. Is anybody paying attention. Go to their website and see for yourself who really has a great health care policy in mind for everybody. I think McCain will work with them better than Obama will. Like Alyssa said, just food for thought. Love MOM
Whoa...easy there folks. It amazes me how attached people get to these presidential candidates. I'm still upset that I can't get enough information on candidates for state and federal congresses.
I don't think I ever mentioned socializing medicine, at least in this blog. But since you mentioned it...aren't Barb and I already stuck in a socialist type system with no choices, and with no competition? Trust me, we checked out all of our choices and we have none.
I don't quite understand where this whole comparison to Canada always comes up. This is not Canada. We do not do things like Canada. And I'm not going to start eating canadian bacon, drinking beer and playing ice hockey every day.
I don't ask Canada how they're doing with anything else.
Maybe in Canada they say, "Do you want a corrupt, unjust Democracy like they have in the U.S.?"
I was pleased to read about the AMA's proposal. Thanks for that tip. I'm not sure who they will propose this to. Without an act from Congress further regulating insurers it's just not going to happen. That's why I want to know more about the Congressional candidates.
Doctors do understand the problems with healthcare. When I bring insurance issues up with doctors they shake their heads in disgust, and they tell me they see it happen everyday. And the doctors do make a powerful alliance. They may just be able to get things done.
Tell me, please, why would people in group insurance be protected from pre-existing condition clauses, but not those with individual plans. Hmmmm, sounds very socialist like to me, not very respective of the individual.
How about this one? Why does my insurance cover chemo administered at the hospital, and doesn't cover chemo in pill form that I can take at home? So much for respecting freedom, so much for choices. Socialism comes in many forms.
McCain is not going to change anything that supports the middle-class, which is the backbone of this country. And if anyone thinks that they're at the wealth level that McCain is, you're fooling yourself, and you're not going to find that he's doing anything for you.
A CNN columnist recently wrote that it's past time for the Republicans to realize that the country is diverse, and not just a bunch of older, rich, white men.
Hey, it's a free country. If you guys are fine watching people die because they can't get healthcare then so be it.
If you guys are fine continuing to stick Barb and I in a corner without options, then so be it.
If Barb has a seizure no one will cover the costs. No one.
If I want to switch to a pill-form chemo that I can take at home, I can only hope the drug company will provide it to me on sympathy. The health insurance industry won't pay for it.
Like I've said many times, all the power is in Congress. I don't really think that Obama is going to make it happen. But at least he's talking about it, at least the AMA is talking about it, but McCain isn't.
(Thanks guys. I love debating this stuff.)
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