By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-08-17 06:48:52 | Word Count: 889
Citizens have
found their voice
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Without reading it, politicians pushed through President Obama's stimulus plan, which was mostly a collection of long-lost earmarks and a stimulus for campaign contributions, on Obama's insistence that it be passed - immediately.
Now the politicians are asked to push through a health-care plan, expected to cost a great deal more, and giving significantly more power to bureaucrats to again mess up our country, again without reading it.
This time the people felt that it directly affected their families and pocketbooks, and also gave the government too much power. Coupled with this feeling is the increasing mistrust of this administration, and of politicians in general. This is the driving force behind citizens who have now found their voice.
Philip Snyder
Mount Laurel
A fatal flaw
in health plan
The requirement that insurers grant health insurance regardless of preexisting conditions has one fatal flaw: If the preexisting-condition exemption is dropped, no one with any financial savvy will buy insurance until such a medical condition appears. For example, there is no point in buying cancer insurance until cancer develops, because cancer insurance will then be available at government-mandated "reasonable" rates to anyone at any time.
What we need from the government is reinsurance to protect insurers from catastrophic expenses for rare diseases, and some way to solve the preexisting-condition problem without forcing an arbitrary government-mandated insurance on everyone.
Andrejs Baidins
Wilmington
Insurer proves
the need for reform
One only had to look at an article on Tuesday's Business page, "Independence to halt 2 plans," for proof that we need health-care reform.
Independence Blue Cross notified its more than 36,000 subscribers that two Medicare Advantage programs, Keystone 65 Complete and Keystone 65 Value, would no longer be offered. Such a cut affects the most vulnerable people in our society - the elderly poor. I find it unconscionable that Independence Blue Cross could be so heartless. Those who oppose the present attempt to fix the health-care system should note how easy it now is for a private insurance company to drop its coverage.
They should also note that Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich may be right! There are "death panels" who can decide one's fate. But they are not government death panels; they are insurance-company death panels that can ration health care by denying service because they deem it too expensive or because they feel a patient is too sick to benefit from the care proposed.
The American Medical Association found that the biggest insurance companies in the country denied between 2 and 5 percent of claims put in by doctors last year. Certainly not all denials were improper, but one has to wonder how many denials were of a life-and-death nature.
Anthony D'Angelo
Willow Grove
Read your
own policy
For all the roar about health-care proposals and what terror they might bring, I would be willing to wager that 90 percent or more of those screaming have not even read their own health-insurance policies.
Were they to do so, they would find it written in as befuddling a manner as any of the political jargon they denounce. I challenge the Becks, Limbaughs, and Hannitys of the world to learn about the rationing and subterfuge practiced by the industry they are so happy with.
Both private and government plans need revision and overhaul, but remember, those of you screaming so loudly: You won't be able to vote out the private industry once you realize the sanctity you are helping them maintain.
Dave Petersen
Lansdale
Santorum has
done it again
Once again, Rick Santorum is at his deceptive best in his piece "One-two punch for Pa., city" (Thursday). Under the guise of objectivity, he once again does the sleight-of-hand tricks that he and his Republican counterparts have honed so well.
While bemoaning the projected 6 percent increase to cover those in Pennsylvania currently without health care, he conveniently forgets that we are already paying for the uninsured. No one walks out of the emergency room of the hospital without someone, somewhere paying! The options being considered by the Obama administration and its supporters in Congress are trying to get this hidden cost clearly identified and stop the game of who is going to pay.
Santorum continues the deception by using information from the Lewin Group. This company, in actuality, is a lobby group of medical and pharmaceutical companies bent on derailing any medical reform in order to protect their bottom lines and big payments for executives.
But you will not find this on its Web site, which has carefully been scrubbed of all clues about the group's true interest: continuing medical care as it is and protecting their earnings.
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