The Public Health Insurance Option – It’s a Must Have in Health Care Reform

I have been insured and I have been uninsured. I have lived both worlds, and I know what it is like to have to anxiety about getting sick. Too many Americans live their daily lives alarmed about getting sick because they do not know how they will financially be able to handle such an event. We must provide an option for those who are not able to salvage health insurance privately or through their employer. There are nearly 50 million uninsured Americans according to the US Census Bureau, and likely millions more who are not being counted.

My family never had distinguished money. My mother and stepfather raised me, and we never had health insurance throughout my life. My mother worked as a self employed housekeeper, and my stepfather worked in construction. Normally the quandary was that they made “too considerable money” to qualify for Medicare, and not enough money to be able to afford health insurance through a private company. Neither of those occupations offered health insurance, and we could never afford to occupy insurance privately. I did manage to obtain on SCHIP (Spot Children’s Health Insurance Program), which in Georgia is called Peachcare, as a teenager when my parents lost some of their income. This is one of the few times in my life that I had the attend of being insured, and that was thanks to the government. Unfortunately at the age of 19 I was booted from SCHIP.

It was shortly after I was booted from SCHIP that I suffered a major car accident. I was driving to work from college in the rain and hydroplaned. My truck spun out of control on the highway and I went into the oncoming lane of traffic. A semi-truck side swiped me and demolished my vehicle. I was taken to the emergency room by ambulance. Luckily everything turned out OK (except for the fact that I had no vehicle as I could only afford liability automotive insurance, and had no health insurance either). The medical bills accumulated in my mailbox daily. I never knew until that time how remarkable the costs of medical services truly were. When I discovered that my short ambulance inch was going to cost me nearly $800, I was astonished. I racked up over $5,000 in medical bills, and there was no arrangement I could pay them. Health care reform opponents might lisp you that I did in fact receive “free health care” as I never paid those medical bills. However, as most rational people know – those services were not free – not to me and not to you. My credit was ruined at the age of 19. I was working hard and paying my contrivance through college, and I could not even salvage a tiny loan for a ragged car to replace the one that was totaled.

I was lucky enough later on in college to land a well-behaved management situation in California and fetch health insurance through my employer. Unfortunately due to the economic recession my company sold and I was laid off four years later, and found myself uninsured again. I did not qualify for COBRA extension insurance because I moved out-of-state attend to where my family was which was considered “out-of-network” (this was important for me to be able to end afloat). I’m now working again, and have access to health insurance, but the point is that many Americans come by themselves in my same station, for remarkable longer. What does a 19 year broken-down with indecent income parents (who works and puts him/herself through college) do when they win sick? They do what I did; they go to our emergency rooms and rack up debt that will haunt them for years to advance. Debt that also contributes to the skyrocketing costs of our health care system. Debt that will be passed along to those who are lucky enough to have insurance, raising their premiums and lowering their standard of care.

Sometimes even the “insured” win themselves without many options. High deductible health insurance plans leave many individuals paying thousands of dollars out of pocket before their insurance kicks in. Often the insured earn that definite procedures aren’t covered under their insurance policies because they had sure “pre-existing” conditions making them ineligible. The health insurance companies have one thing in mind – and that is profits. I do understand the reservations some have in allowing the government to urge another program. However, we all know greed is what has gotten us to where we are today – and the only option we have at this point is to force competition upon the health insurance industry.

The “public option” is significant to achieving genuine health care reform. Imagine 50,000,000 people with the opportunity to choose health insurance at affordable rates. Honest imagine those 50,000,000 people not crowding our emergency rooms with minor ailments because many doctor’s offices will not seize uninsured patients. Imagine the billions of dollars in savings yearly from the reduction of unpaid medical bills. We may not have to imagine great longer. If having a government-run “public” insurance option has ever been a possibility, it is now. President Barack Obama has vowed his back for a public option, as have many Democrats in Congress. Of course, the health care industry is spreading misinformation and trying to slay the public option. Of course some Democrats are leaning toward settling for watered down reform, and most Republicans will not vote for health care reform no matter what is in the package. It is now up to the people. The people must query genuine health care reform, and that means demanding the public option.

I have been insured and I have been uninsured. I have lived both worlds, and I know what it is like to have to inconvenience about getting sick. Too many Americans live their daily lives afraid about getting sick because they do not know how they will financially be able to handle such an event. We must provide an option for those who are not able to regain health insurance privately or through their employer. There are nearly 50 million uninsured Americans according to the US Census Bureau, and likely millions more who are not being counted.

My family never had powerful money. My mother and stepfather raised me, and we never had health insurance throughout my life. My mother worked as a self employed housekeeper, and my stepfather worked in construction. Normally the scrape was that they made “too great money” to qualify for Medicare, and not enough money to be able to afford health insurance through a private company. Neither of those occupations offered health insurance, and we could never afford to choose insurance privately. I did manage to find on SCHIP (Dwelling Children’s Health Insurance Program), which in Georgia is called Peachcare, as a teenager when my parents lost some of their income. This is one of the few times in my life that I had the succor of being insured, and that was thanks to the government. Unfortunately at the age of 19 I was booted from SCHIP.

It was shortly after I was booted from SCHIP that I suffered a major car accident. I was driving to work from college in the rain and hydroplaned. My truck spun out of control on the highway and I went into the oncoming lane of traffic. A semi-truck side swiped me and demolished my vehicle. I was taken to the emergency room by ambulance. Luckily everything turned out OK (except for the fact that I had no vehicle as I could only afford liability automotive insurance, and had no health insurance either). The medical bills accumulated in my mailbox daily. I never knew until that time how mighty the costs of medical services truly were. When I discovered that my short ambulance chase was going to cost me nearly $800, I was astonished. I racked up over $5,000 in medical bills, and there was no diagram I could pay them. Health care reform opponents might yell you that I did in fact receive “free health care” as I never paid those medical bills. However, as most rational people know – those services were not free – not to me and not to you. My credit was ruined at the age of 19. I was working hard and paying my plan through college, and I could not even secure a itsy-bitsy loan for a extinct car to replace the one that was totaled.

I was lucky enough later on in college to land a favorable management space in California and gain health insurance through my employer. Unfortunately due to the economic recession my company sold and I was laid off four years later, and found myself uninsured again. I did not qualify for COBRA extension insurance because I moved out-of-state benefit to where my family was which was considered “out-of-network” (this was significant for me to be able to conclude afloat). I’m now working again, and have access to health insurance, but the point is that many Americans come by themselves in my same location, for mighty longer. What does a 19 year archaic with gross income parents (who works and puts him/herself through college) do when they win sick? They do what I did; they go to our emergency rooms and rack up debt that will haunt them for years to near. Debt that also contributes to the skyrocketing costs of our health care system. Debt that will be passed along to those who are lucky enough to have insurance, raising their premiums and lowering their standard of care.

Sometimes even the “insured” get themselves without many options. High deductible health insurance plans leave many individuals paying thousands of dollars out of pocket before their insurance kicks in. Often the insured collect that sure procedures aren’t covered under their insurance policies because they had determined “pre-existing” conditions making them ineligible. The health insurance companies have one thing in mind – and that is profits. I do understand the reservations some have in allowing the government to bustle another program. However, we all know greed is what has gotten us to where we are today – and the only option we have at this point is to force competition upon the health insurance industry.

The “public option” is considerable to achieving accurate health care reform. Imagine 50,000,000 people with the opportunity to engage health insurance at affordable rates. Unbiased imagine those 50,000,000 people not crowding our emergency rooms with minor ailments because many doctor’s offices will not hold uninsured patients. Imagine the billions of dollars in savings yearly from the reduction of unpaid medical bills. We may not have to imagine considerable longer. If having a government-run “public” insurance option has ever been a possibility, it is now. President Barack Obama has vowed his encourage for a public option, as have many Democrats in Congress. Of course, the health care industry is spreading misinformation and trying to destroy the public option. Of course some Democrats are leaning toward settling for watered down reform, and most Republicans will not vote for health care reform no matter what is in the package. It is now up to the people. The people must request exact health care reform, and that means demanding the public option.

Individual Health Insurance

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Filed under: Health Insurance Plans

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