Archive for the ‘Unemployment & Insurance’ Category

Down Economy Makes Health Care Reform Challenging

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

The lingering recession has wreaked devastating havoc on the whole economy with many segments weakened beyond the capacity of most efforts to revive them.  The depressed economy has weighed heavily on one segment that was hoped to get better before it got any worse, and that is the heath care system.  Before there was any chance of the system moving a step forward after heath care reform, the recession has pushed it at least two steps back.

Census Bureau Sheds Light on Poverty Level and Health Insurance Coverage

With the wave of recent reports from the U.S. Census Bureau indicating an unprecedented  increase in the number of people living under the poverty level  and a stark increase in the number of people now covered by government health insurance, health care reform advocates are bracing for the worst.  Many of the changes that would enable the system to accommodate more Medicaid patients don’t even go into effect until 2014.

The cornerstone of the health care system, employer-based coverage, is shedding people from its insurance rolls faster than the government system can absorb them. Couple this with the fact that those who are uninsured continue to increase for people from households earning more than $50,000, as well as for foreign-born people, and the prospect for any quiet transition to the private insurance exchanges mandated under HCR is very poor.

Concerns about Costs and Discrimination Plague Health Insurance Reform

There are already concerns by many, on both sides of the issue, that the system, under health care reform, will be fraught with the problems of increasing costs and discriminatory restrictions. These issues, that are inherent in the system, will only be exacerbated as the economy continues to push more people into the ranks of the uninsured.

A reformed system that was envisioned as a solution to the inequities that plagued the poor and under-insured, is suddenly falling by the weight of an economy that is making the problem more widespread.  This could very well make the case for “repeal and replace,” especially if the current law isn’t revised to address the  obvious inadequacies of the new system.

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Wall Street, Health Insurance, and Reform

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

The American lifestyle encourages us to make a lot from a little. Wall Street is the product of this mentality. Is it fair then, that our insurance companies are controlled by a system that is designed to get the most from doing the least? Medicine as we know it today is unlike the medicine of even thirty years ago. In the 1980s, medical insurance went public and the whole game changed. Health insurance is now controlled by huge, publicly traded, for-profit companies. The medical field of the 21st century has both pros and cons.

Pros of the Modern Health System

  • Medical procedures are more successful than ever before.
  • Pharmaceutical innovations allow patients whose diseases were once death sentences to lead a more normal life.
  • With current health care reform, all Americans will have access to affordable health care.
  • Through medicine we live longer, more fulfilling lives.

Cons of Health Care Today

  • Health care costs have more than doubled since insurance went public.
  • Until 2014, insurance companies have the right to turn away subscribers with preexisting conditions and deny coverage to those who develop illnesses.
  • Doctors and physicians are required to attain the permission of insurance companies to perform life saving procedures.

Health care is as vital to our existence as food, clothing, shelter, and water. Without modern health care, we cannot live life as we do now. It makes sense then, that we feel somewhat controlled by our health insurance companies. We are obligated to pay what they ask. They can say no to expensive procedures they deem unnecessary. This year’s health care reform law offers some control of the decisions made by insurance companies. In the future, regardless of medical conditions, Americans will have the right to benefit from the excellent medical care available in the United States. A perfect solution it is not, but it is the beginning of significant changes in the way we receive medical care.

Creative Commons License photo credit: guillenperez

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COBRA Subsidies Have Expired

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

American Unemployment Rate

Bad news if you’re about to become unemployed: COBRA health coverage is no longer cheap. After more than a year of expanded federal subsidies for COBRA, congress allowed the help to expire on June 1st.

In March of 2009, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, COBRA health coverage costs were cut by 65% with the help of the federal government. This meant that the average family in California only had to pay about $390 for coverage – a far cry from the average cost of around $1,107 before the subsidy (according to a Families USA study).

Now that COBRA help has expired, you’re left with two options for individual or family health insurance:

  1. Pay the full cost of COBRA coverage – which is basically the same coverage you received from your previous employer when you worked with them. However, now that the subsidy has expired, you will need to pay the full cost – which currently averages around $1,100 for a family.
  2. Opt for an affordable alternative to COBRA. You can request a free quote for health insurance here to see if you can save money with a private alternative.

COBRA Insurance Extension “Unlikely”

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said in a statement that “if the [COBRA] extension is not approved immediately, millions of Americans could lose the safety-net programs they deserve and desperately need.” Unfortunately, congress is in a cost-cutting mood, so they’re not likely to extend COBRA subsidies.

CNN estimates that nearly 10 million people are collecting unemployment insurance, and 46% of the 15.3 million jobless Americans have remained unemployed for six months or longer. Despite a comprehensive health reform bill, COBRA coverage remains as expensive as it always has been, and the government is no longer willing to subsidize its costs.

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