This is hopeful.
I’ve written before about the terrible crime that is the individualized health care plan in the United States, which is vastly different than insurance offered through an employer. The premium costs much more if you can get the insurance in the first place (you can’t if you’ve had a c-section or have any other discluded condition), the benefits are dramatically less (and exclude coverages such as prescription drugs and maternity services), the plans are frequently (illegally) cancelled for no reason except that you had the gall to actually use the plan, and the deductible is often $5000 or more. I think it’s a total scam that preys on the fear that we have of being uninsured, but I’m not convinced an individualized health care plan is actually insurance at all.
There are a lot of us that are unhappy:
A national study published in 2006 by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York philanthropy, found that 89% of those who shopped for health coverage on their own never bought a plan, either because all were too expensive, none offered the benefits they needed or their medical histories disqualified them.
Two-thirds of those holding individual policies were dissatisfied with them, the study found, while only half of those enrolled in employer plans were unhappy.
California is attempting to regulate these plans, which (surprise!) are regulated far less than employer-bought plans.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Wow; I feel very lucky reading this. I recently switched from an employer plan to an individual plan … and I’m getting (I hope) very good coverage. We were fortunate enough to get an insurance agent who comes to our house! He sat down and went over the plans with us, and he and the DH talk on the phone about the details. When we found out about baby’s heart stuff, he was one of our first calls, and he let us know what to expect as far as out of pocket costs.
We tried doing the shop online thing, and calling the insurance companies directly - uggh!!!! Nobody knows anything and you can’t get the info you need online. I would recommend going with a good, local agent. I didn’t even know that was possible in this day and age!