More inroads for Obamacare
Barb ShellySome more consumer-friendly elements of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, if you prefer, phased in this week.
Most private insurance plans will have to phase out co-payments and deductibles for some preventive services, such as well-woman visits, breastfeeding support and supplies and testing for HIV, gestational diabetes and human papillomavirus. Those rules will apply to policies which get started or renewed after Aug. 1.
Oh, and the insurers will also have to provide birth control free of charge in most cases.
Also, millions of consumers are receiving refunds or premium credits from insurance companies which broke the so-called 80-20 rule — the one that says insurers must spend 80 percent of their annual premium income on patient care or quality control.
This is all great news for patients and consumers. Once these provisions are rolled out, it’s going to be hard to stuff them back into the box. But that hasn’t stopped Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from writing this piece, in which he vows that Congress will “get this monstrosity off the books.” Not likely.
Steven Fetter
66223
9 months, 3 weeks agoHow can the government dictate to a private insurance company the services they must provide and the price (none) that they charge the user?
All of the above procedures may be very worthwhile but who made these decisions? What kind of a cost/benefit analysis was used? What is the cost to the rest of the consumers for providing these “free? benefits?
The day may come when the government comes knocking on other private businesses, say the Star, and dictates that certain ads be made available for free. Or that content be distributed for free to some select group. Or even that certain procedures will no longer be allowed in your health plan.
This “great news” may be tempered as the footprint of government continues it inexorable march.
Phil Cardarella
9 months, 3 weeks agoIf this keeps up, we will reach the great kind of Universal Health Care that Mitt praised in Israel!
George Harris
Kansas City
9 months, 3 weeks agoSteven, there are already businesses whose rates are set by the government, namely public utilities. Whether this is good or bad is another question.
Chuck, there was a very complicated study of the survival rates of cancer patients in various countries. It’s hard to get an apples to apples comparison. For example, do we study the survival rates of all people in the U.S. or only the survival rates of those with insurance in order to compare this to the survival rates of countries with universal coverage?
Also, I didn’t watch it very carefully, but the Olympics opening ceremony sported a tribute to England’s national health care system, and people there seem to like it. Same in Canada. There are those who don’t, of course, but there is no strong support in any developed country with national health care to eliminate the system, as far as I know. I’ve been in lots of countries in Europe several times and in Canada, and the people I visit like their health care system. Not a scientific sample, to be sure, but I’ve seen other surveys showing that satisfaction rates are good in Canada in England.
The percentage of people referred to a specialist and seen within a month is an interesting stat also. First, because the Canadian system emphasizes primary care, those doctors tend to do a lot of work that is often done by specialists in the U.S. Second, it is often not a major problem that there is a delay in seeing a specialist. There are, of course, exceptions to this, too.
There’s a great article by Malcolm Gladwell comparing the pro’s and con’s of the Canadian vs U.S. system. He concludes that the U.S. system is far superior in responding to crises and to medical needs requiring advanced technology, but the Canadian system delivers better primary care to the nation as a whole. He makes it clear, as I recall, that he prefers the U.S. system. I don’t have the link, but I’ll bet you can Google this article easily.
Kent Mueller
9 months, 3 weeks agoGeorge…..your example of price setting for utilities has no relation to setting prices in healthcare insurance policies. Utilities are regulated monopolies. That is a completely different animal.
Barb, we got our refund check from our insurance company. Shouldn’t the Obama campaign be charged for the printing costs of the required language that the refund was a result of Obama’s healthcare law? That was pure taxpayer funded political messaging. Who doesn’t like to receive an unexpected check in the mail?
Mark Robertson
9 months, 3 weeks agoGreat post Chuck Close. Facts are stubborn things. U.S. health care would be even better if government didn’t play such a large role, including its role in overregulation. And the devastation continues with Obamacare. Barb are you really that clueless to think that the insurance companies will be paying for contraception? You likley know the reality, and just spreading more propaganda. Romney has to be elected, and Obamacare has to be destroyed, or we are cooked as a nation. Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence
Phil Cardarella
9 months, 3 weeks agoLet’s see: Kent got a refund check and is COMPLAINING because it carried the TRUTHFUL message that the refund was required by the Affordable Care Act.
Statistics can be terribly misleading. Many of those , for example, who survive so long in the US with cancer are covered by Medicare. Also true of probably 98% of hip-replacements. The same is true of most of the other cases cited.
One thing is clear: No nation that has adopted any form of universal health care has ever decided to embrace our old system instead. Britain, Canada and Israel all love their own SINGLE PAYER, MEDICARE-LIKE systems. You know, the one Mitt praised because it is so much more efficient than our own overall system!
I understand why insurance company CEOs are upset. Thy are now required to pay out 80% of premiums. Only 20% can be retained for administrative costs (2.5 times that of the Israeli single-payer system, 3.7 times Medicare) and CEO salaries. Can’t for the life of me understand why Kent doesn’t like getting that check.
This really is a no-brainer.
Mark Robertson
9 months, 3 weeks agoPhil, You are simply wrong. Most all countries that have had socialized health care have systems that are in shambles and are turning towards the private sector, including Canada. In fact, the man considered to be the father of the Canadian health care system, Claude Castonguay, now says the system is in “crisis” and has called for private sector solutions. Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence
Kent Mueller
9 months, 3 weeks agoPhil, it’s because unlike a lot of people, I can’t be bought. You won’t admit that message was campaign propaganda? Really?
And you are right, Phil, statistics often are misleading. Ones like those that seemingly show the US with a lower survival rate for newborns. One reason our survival rate appears lower is because we attempt to save so many more premies. Those count in out numbers. Also, other countries don’t always start the meter running a the birth of the child. Some countries don’t enter the child into the stats until a year after birth.