Health insurance coverage for the masses has been in the news for awhile now. But with the recent campaign season, and the economic downturn the U.S. has been experiencing, it has been pushed to the forefront with renewed vigor. While I, like most of you, would like to see the entire population have some type of health insurance coverage, I don't believe the government should foot the bill. Or at lease not all of it.
The proposed $836 BILLION dollar stimulus package sets aside about $40,000,000,000.00 (40 billion) to help the uninsured. Some of the money is to be used to expand medicaid for the poor, while the rest is to used to subsidize C.O.B.R.A. for those who lose their jobs. On the surface these seem to be good ideas but upon further review the plan is more expensive than it needs to be while skipping a large portion of people in the middle.
Helping those less fortunate than ourselves is a noble cause, thus I believe helping the poor by expanding Medicaid sounds reasonable, however, the individual states we be able to set the baseline for acceptance. Meaning that if the state sets the limit too some of the truly needy will not qualify, but if they set the limit too high then we as tax payers are helping those who should be able to help themselves. Also covered under the Medicaid program will be those who choose not to report their income either for tax or immigration issues as well as those who simply choose not to work. (But that is another article for a different day) If we as the taxpayers are expected to pay the bills we should have the right to expect our government to enforce the rules that govern our money. Some portion of the Medicaid funds should be set aside for that purpose. So that we are not being taken advantage of.
The second portion of the stimulus to to subsidize the high cost of C.O.B.R.A. coverage when an employee with company sponsored benefits loses their job. I believe that this, for the most part, is a tremendous waste of funds. 94% of people on C.O.B.R.A. would qualify for an IFP(individual or family plan) though private insurance for up to 75% less. The remaining 6% would not qualify and should be allowed and possibly subsidized until they can find another group health insurance plan or be allowed to remain on C.O.B.R.A. until the age of 65 when they would qualify for Medicare. If the government insist on subsidizing everyone on C.O.B.R.A. Wouldn't it be far cheaper for them just to subsidize the cost of the lower cost private plan? Potentially saving billions of dollars while still providing basic coverage for those who lost their jobs.
The group of people being left out of this plan are the people who do not have group coverage, make too much money for Medicaid and have to provide their own coverage. I think what these people need is not subsidies or "free" insurance but information and education on what insurance coverages they need versus what the think they need. We are at the end of the HMO generation. The time when most had an HMO plan through our employers or our parents employers and there was little to no cast for any medical services. Those days are gone but many believe that is the only acceptable type of coverage, Low cost high coverage and no personal financial responsability. During these difficult financial times we need to take a look at the type of coverage that we truly need, take responsibility for that coverage, seek out those that can best advise us and then put it in place.
Insurance is not the governments responsibility it is OUR responsibility. Government funded insurance should not be a right of the people until all of the people are required to help fund it. These are just my opinions and my thoughts and every person is entitled to their own. If you like my ideas or have different ideas of your own, do the right thing and contact your congressman and let them know what you would like them to do. Without our voices they are voting on these issues assuming that you agree with their opinion.
Arthur Hoffman is an insurance broker in California. He is licensed in 14 states and specializes in health insurance policies. With in-depth knowledge of insurance plans and procedures, and having years of experience inside the insurance companies themselves, he is a highly qualified expert in the field. To get more information on Arthur Hoffman Insurance Services, or to search for a plan, please visit [http://www.helpmegetcovered.com] There, we have plans available for individuals, families, seniors and even children only policies. You can also get a free quote. There is also a FAQ page where you can learn more about insurance terms and information about the different types of policies available.
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