October 23rd, 2009
All Into The Risk Pool
This system forces sick people to bear high costs for chronic illnesses over which they have little control. Only when we include everyone in the risk pool do we have an insurance system that does not punish individuals for being sick.
Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/opinion/lweb23douthat.html
If you have not already, please do take a look at The Faces of Pre-Existing Conditions.
“Only when we include everyone in the risk pool do we have an insurance system that does not punish individuals for being sick.”
Wow, I couldnt disagree more. If I read this right, this assumes that insurance companies are regulated in some way and are honest, and that insurance has anything to do with aiding the sick. What I have learned is that insurance companies are interesting only in profiteering, and dumping as many chronically ill or catastrophically ill people as they can, so as not to cut into their profit margins. They answer only to wall street.
Having a chronic illness is tough enough and then you add in insurance policies, pre-existing conditions, medication, and doctor visits. It all makes it very hard to concentrate on feeling better, on being able to pure a glass of milk when you have all the extra stress. We need to find a way to relief the sick. I have more medical debt because of uncovered Remicade infusions than I do from receiving my MBA. Something needs to change.