Community Chat

[momtochloe]

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@Spurt wrote:

So Aetna is pulling out of Virginia citing costs, yet how did Aetna have 34 BILLION to acquire Humana and when a judge blocked the proposal Aetna had to pay Humana The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit last July to block Aetna's acquisition of Humana and Anthem's acquisition of Cigna, arguing that the two deals would lead to higher prices. And Humana stood to receive a ONE BILLION breakup fee for an abandoned deal.....Looks like Aetna has money to burn to limit consumer choice and get a bigger piece of the insurance pie

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@Spurt BRAVO my friend, bravo! . . .  

[Marp]

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@meem120 wrote:

And pre existing conditions will be covered....but they can charge whatever to get you into the risk pool.  It will cost plenty for you to get coverage.  All I hear is yes, pre existing is covered,,,,they just fail to mention how much it will cost you.

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I think a lot of people fail to realize what constitutes a preexisting condition.   If you are treated for something that is cured you are fine but if you are treated for something that requires following, could flare again or affect something else you are pretty much locked into your insurance carrier or faced with having preexisting conditions.

For example, you have a preexisting condition if you have been diagnosed or treated for, but not limited to: 

AIDS/HIV, acid reflux, acne, ADD, addiction, Alzheimer's/dementia, anemia, aneurysm, angioplasty, anorexia, anxiety, arrhythmia, arthritis, asthma, atrial fibrillation, autism,

bariatric surgery, basal cell carcinoma, bipolar disorder, blood clot, breast cancer, bulimia, bypass surgery,

celiac disease, cerebral aneurysm, cerebral embolism, cerebral palsy, cerebral thrombosis, cervical cancer, colon cancer, colon polyps, congestive heart failure, COPD, Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis,

DMD, depression, diabetes, disabilities, Down syndrome, eating disorder, enlarged prostate, epilepsy, glaucoma. gout,

heart disease, heart murmur, heartburn, hemophilia, hepatitis C, herpes, high cholesterol, hypertension, hysterectomy, kidney disease, kidney stones, kidney transplant,

leukemia, lung cancer, lupus, lymphoma, mental health issues, migraines, MS, muscular dystrophy,

narcolepsy, nasal polyps, obesity, OCD, organ transplant, osteoporosis, pacemaker, panic disorder, paralysis, paraplegia, Parkinson's disease, pregnancy, restless leg syndrome,

schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder, seizures, sickle cell disease, skin cancer, sleep apnea, sleep disorders, stent, stroke,

thyroid issues, tooth disease, tuberculosis, and ulcers.

To name a few. And chances are, you or someone you know has dealt with something (or multiple things) on this list. (Sherrod Brown)

[chickenbutt]

It goes without saying, and to keep it generic, things will get worse...way worse.  

[momtochloe]

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@Marp wrote:

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@meem120 wrote:

And pre existing conditions will be covered....but they can charge whatever to get you into the risk pool.  It will cost plenty for you to get coverage.  All I hear is yes, pre existing is covered,,,,they just fail to mention how much it will cost you.

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I think a lot of people fail to realize what constitutes a preexisting condition.   If you are treated for something that is cured you are fine but if you are treated for something that requires following, could flare again or affect something else you are pretty much locked into your insurance carrier or faced with having preexisting conditions.

For example, you have a preexisting condition if you have been diagnosed or treated for, but not limited to: 

AIDS/HIV, acid reflux, acne, ADD, addiction, Alzheimer's/dementia, anemia, aneurysm, angioplasty, anorexia, anxiety, arrhythmia, arthritis, asthma, atrial fibrillation, autism,

bariatric surgery, basal cell carcinoma, bipolar disorder, blood clot, breast cancer, bulimia, bypass surgery,

celiac disease, cerebral aneurysm, cerebral embolism, cerebral palsy, cerebral thrombosis, cervical cancer, colon cancer, colon polyps, congestive heart failure, COPD, Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis,

DMD, depression, diabetes, disabilities, Down syndrome, eating disorder, enlarged prostate, epilepsy, glaucoma. gout,

heart disease, heart murmur, heartburn, hemophilia, hepatitis C, herpes, high cholesterol, hypertension, hysterectomy, kidney disease, kidney stones, kidney transplant,

leukemia, lung cancer, lupus, lymphoma, mental health issues, migraines, MS, muscular dystrophy,

narcolepsy, nasal polyps, obesity, OCD, organ transplant, osteoporosis, pacemaker, panic disorder, paralysis, paraplegia, Parkinson's disease, pregnancy, restless leg syndrome,

schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder, seizures, sickle cell disease, skin cancer, sleep apnea, sleep disorders, stent, stroke,

thyroid issues, tooth disease, tuberculosis, and ulcers.

To name a few. And chances are, you or someone you know has dealt with something (or multiple things) on this list. (Sherrod Brown)

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@Marp I couldn't agree more.  For anyone that has been involved in the private insurance market it is a nightmare.  I was commiserating with a nurse at my doctor's office who was fuming that since her mom had a broken nose decades ago any illnesses associated with her olfactory system would not be covered.  Seriously?  This is just wrong.

[Marp]

@momtochloe, I think a lot of eyes are going to be opened because most people only think of preexisting conditions as something very serious.  The fact is if you have been treated for something that can't be cured it is a preexisting condition and anything that condition can affect is also part of the preexisting condition.

[itiswhatitis]

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@Carmie wrote:

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@momtochloe wrote:

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@QueenDanceALot wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

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@QueenDanceALot wrote:

No one knows how much this thing is going to cost, what the details are and how many will lose coverage,  but they're cheering like it's the Academy Awards.

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I find this scary as all hello.  I have worked in health insurance for more than 20 years and I know that there is no way health insurance for all Americans is easy, in fact so easy that a master plan can be put in place in such a short time.

The last time the ACA was put in place was too soon also. There is no way a group of people with no credentials with health insurance can come up with a good plan.... and so, the people who need insurance will suffer again.

People need affordable insurance, not just insurance that covers pre-x conditions.

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And there is nothing to say that pre-existing conditions will be covered.

Just some blah blah blah.  And we know how that goes.

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And there is also an out for employer based insurance to opt out of covering these conditions (would have provided the link to the Wall Street Journal but don't have access to it):

http://www.businessinsider.com/gop-healthcare-bill-ahca-employer-insurance-2017-5

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I saw that the new plan allows employers with 50 or more employees not to have to provide health insurance to their employees who work more than 30 hours.

Currently, employers have hired only part time employees to get around this rule anyway. Many people lost their hours at work,  Maybe people will get full time employement now. It's a catch 22 for sure.

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@Carmie that won't help if the new legislation goes through.  Employers can now turn over time pay into "flexible" time off.  That just passed too.

No more over time.

[itiswhatitis]

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@meem120 wrote:

And pre existing conditions will be covered....but they can charge whatever to get you into the risk pool.  It will cost plenty for you to get coverage.  All I hear is yes, pre existing is covered,,,,they just fail to mention how much it will cost you.

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@meem120 this new thing does not cover pre-existing conditions.  It does allow set up for a pool for those who do though.

[momtochloe]

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@Marp wrote:

@momtochloe, I think a lot of eyes are going to be opened because most people only think of preexisting conditions as something very serious.  The fact is if you have been treated for something that can't be cured it is a preexisting condition and anything that condition can affect is also part of the preexisting condition.

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@Marp and wait until they have the pleasure of spending almost an hour on the phone being asked your most intimate details (including how many sex partners you have had and be prepared when statistically it doesn't match up).

It's humiliating when all you are looking for is to purchase decent health care.

[momtochloe]

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@itiswhatitis wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

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@momtochloe wrote:

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@QueenDanceALot wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

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@QueenDanceALot wrote:

No one knows how much this thing is going to cost, what the details are and how many will lose coverage,  but they're cheering like it's the Academy Awards.

---

I find this scary as all hello.  I have worked in health insurance for more than 20 years and I know that there is no way health insurance for all Americans is easy, in fact so easy that a master plan can be put in place in such a short time.

The last time the ACA was put in place was too soon also. There is no way a group of people with no credentials with health insurance can come up with a good plan.... and so, the people who need insurance will suffer again.

People need affordable insurance, not just insurance that covers pre-x conditions.

---

And there is nothing to say that pre-existing conditions will be covered.

Just some blah blah blah.  And we know how that goes.

---

And there is also an out for employer based insurance to opt out of covering these conditions (would have provided the link to the Wall Street Journal but don't have access to it):

http://www.businessinsider.com/gop-healthcare-bill-ahca-employer-insurance-2017-5

---

I saw that the new plan allows employers with 50 or more employees not to have to provide health insurance to their employees who work more than 30 hours.

Currently, employers have hired only part time employees to get around this rule anyway. Many people lost their hours at work,  Maybe people will get full time employement now. It's a catch 22 for sure.

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@Carmie that won't help if the new legislation goes through.  Employers can now turn over time pay into "flexible" time off.  That just passed too.

No more over time.

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@itiswhatitis this is so egregious as to be honest those folks will never get those flex time hours back as they were probably taken advantage of in the first place  . . . . shame on all of hem.  I would tell them to sleep well but I bet they already do . .  .                     

[Carmie]

The insurance company I work for considered a pre-x condition anything you were diagnosed or treated for in the past 12 months.  You could purchase insurance, but your Pre- x condition would not be covered for the first 12 months. This was a waiting period.

Sometimes higher premiums are charged for pre-x.  Not many insurance companies will outright deny you coverage, but there are exceptions.

The reason pre-x conditions create a problem is because some people never purchase health insurance.  When they are diagnosed with an illness, they want insurance.  When their illness is over, they drop the coverage.  It's like buying car insurance after an accident and wanting the auto insurance to pay for it.

What used to happen was young couples would not purchase insurance until the wife became pregnant, for example.

This causes everyone who has continuous coverage to pay more and is not fair to them.

Newborn babies added to their parents coverage after birth  have never been subject to Pre-X and they are covered for the first 30 days. Any baby who is born with medical problems with parents who have no coverage will receive treatment under medicaid regardless of how much money their parents makes.  

Handicapped children who are covered under their parent's health insurance also have Medicaid as a back-up.

Insurance is complicated.  I don't know what the solution is that is fair to everyone.  Other countries have coverage for all, but it is not perfect either.

No matter what happens, not everyone's is going to be happy. The bottom line is, we are all going to have to pay something for this to work.