Five Reasons For Health Care Reform

Shocking Health Care Facts in the US part 2:

Here are five important reasons why we urgently need health care reform in the United States at the present time.

1. Health care should be available to everyone. But presently it is not. This is because some people are excluded from insurance coverage because they have “pre-existing conditions.”  Perhaps they were covered in a group policy which they lost when they lost their job or moved to another state.  Others have lost their insurance when they lost their job, and do not have enough income to purchase a policy under COBRA, or they work for an employer who do not offer health insurance as an employee benefit.

The present system of excluding persons from insurance coverage due to their health history or lack of money to pay is a form a rationing health care.  Presently 49 million Americans do not have health insurance coverage.  Health care is a human right, and most developed nations provide coverage for their citizens.

2. Americans deserve a choice. Health insurance is controlled by the private insurance industry, who set the rates and policies in order to maximize their profits.  Offering a public option would create competition and drive down the cost of health care premiums.

Insurance companies will no longer be able to refuse coverage to anyone due to pre-existing conditions, or charge more based on gender or health status, or limit the amount of coverage you can get in a year or a lifetime.  Insurers will be required to renew policies as long as the
premiums are being paid, and they will not be allowed to charge more than 10% of income for out-of-pocket expenses per year.

3. Health care should be affordable. Health care presently is not affordable for many working people or unemployed people who do not qualify for medicaid.  Because they cannot afford to purchase health insurance, they are forced to go without preventive care, and postpone going to the doctor until they develop a serious condition.  They then are forced to seek help at the hospital emergency room, which helps to drive up the cost of health care for those with insurance.

4. Having health care reform will increase our peace of mind. Health care reform will include preventive services such as routine mammograms, mental health services, oral health & vision services for children.  It will extend the age of children covered in family policies from 22 to 26 years, giving young adults time to get established without having to buy their own coverage.

5.  We can’t afford to do nothing. Presently the high cost of health care in the United States is becoming unmanageable.  It is a leading cause of personal bankruptcy filings and home foreclosures, as well as an uncontrolled cost for employers in both the public and private sectors.

Continuing to neglect this critical problem and kick the can down the road is simply no longer an option.

health insurance denial

I just received the official letter that my application for a health insurance policy is denied due to the underwriter’s determination that I am “medically ineligible.”

So now I have joined the ranks of the uninsured.

Recently I moved to a different state.  Because I am self-employed I have carried my own coverage.  Since my policy was based on using preferred providers PPO, I could not continue the policy once I moved.

I had more or less expected this would be the result, since last year I had a lumpectomy for breast cancer and radiation treatments.  Actually keeping the policy I had at the time was a struggle.   Before I received my diagnosis, my business income had declined due to the recession and some marketing problems.  Due to the treatments I lost more time at work, resulting in further loss of income.

Last winter I found myself forced to choose between paying my mortgage and the health insurance premium.  I opted to pay the health insurance, but once I got behind on the mortgage I was unable to catch up.  The payments I was behing on quickly added up and I went into default and eventually received a foreclosure notice.

By the grace of God I was able to sell my condo before the foreclosure started and make my move to this new location, but that’s a different story.

For now I have found a place to go for health care where I can get the follow-up mammograms I need, as well as any other care.  It is a community clinic that has a mission to see that noone is denied health care.

But the larger question to me is how it is possible in this country at this time to deny anyone medical coverage due to a pre-existing condition?

My hope has been that this must change.  I want to add my voice to that movement for change.

God’s Grace is Sufficient

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” — Psalm 68:19

During the past year I have experienced numerous instances of God’s grace at work in my life; in this journal I will attempt to record and reflect on how the this grace has come to me.

I have faced financial disaster, significant health problems, been on the brink of foreclosure and near bankruptcy; yet through all of these circumstances I have been able to find a way through them and the strength to keep going.  Through it all I kept praying and praising God, and thanking him for answering my prayers even before I could see the answers.

I had a vision that I should move to another state where I could be close to my family.  I did not know how I could do this, but I trusted that God would provide.  I wrote out a vision statement and kept praying, seeking God’s help.  I began to get ready to move by clearing things out so that I would not have so much stuff to move.  I gave away carloads of items that I hauled to the Salvation Army thrift store.  I was touched by the gratitude of the people for what I brought; being able to help others in need gave me joy.

I kept praying for God to bring the right buyer for my condo and thanking him for the offer I would receive.  Many people came to look but none of them made an offer.  I decided that I must move, and that I would do whatever was necessary to realize my vision.  I just kept on packing and getting things moved out as much as possible, and we did lower the price a couple of times.

Finally I received a notice that I was in a grace period from the mortgage company before they started to foreclose.  I still kept praying, asking for God to provide.

I just kept going in faith each day on what I thought I should do next. I decided I would have to get ready to move, and began working out the details of moving.  Then a miracle happened, and a qualified buyer finally came forward with an offer, which called for having a closing within two weeks.  My realtor said she didn’t believe they could do it, but they did.

About this time my children asked if I would be a nanny for my younger grandson after I moved, and I was able to get an apartment, just a few blocks from their home.  Everything seemed to happen at once, and it has all worked out.

This amazing grace truly has been sufficient for me.  Surely, God is able.