What I meant is that insurers are prevented by law from dropping people after they get sick just because they got sick.
I think this is the public perception. There are very clear laws in place, in most states I would think, that force insurers to honor their contractual agreements. This is true for all insurers....auto, property and casualty, and life policies all have clear statements concerning what they will pay for and what they won't.
It's a given that all insurers want to minimize the amount they pay out on claims. Thus it's incumbent on the buyer of a policy to really study out what their policy will do for them in the event of a car accident, an illness, or damage to their homes and other property. This really is a task, though, I admit, and I don't think the typical policyholder works very hard at it. I think a lot of people assume their policies will cover more than they actually do.
My point here is simply that I suspect this is an overstated problem. If one has a comprehensive policy from a large insurance company, the benefits that are listed in that policy will be honored. You weren't dropped after your own cancer surfaced, were you?
I've personally never known anyone who had the kind of problems with their health insurance that are being claimed. Probably there have been such problems somewhere, but I just haven't personally known of them. Everyone I know complains about the cost of their policies, but that's all I've noticed.
With one exception. This past years, a woman who helps me with cleaning now and then, was having claims refused following her husband falling off a ladder. I offered to help her try to figure out her policy. The problem was that it was a policy from some small insurance company, and they had bought it just because it was cheaper than what was available at the time from the bigger, household name companies. It just had lower and stricter limits on what it was going to pay for a situation that required on-going treatment like her husband needed. Right there in black and white were the limits of the coverage....very sad.
But please don't think I have a love affair with the health insurers. I was for single-payer or public option all the way. The fact the country is now being delivered into the hands of all the insurers and HMOs and PPOs is somewhat horrifying. We'll just have to hope for the best. |
