Solutions for Those with Pre existing Conditions

[LibertyEagle]

My husband had a stroke in September. Wanna try again?

No, why would I? Are you saying you "shopped around" the various hospitals in your city to get the best price and that worked for you?

 

[wrestlingwes_8]

The OP is discussing Type One, which he said pretty clearly. Saying "you can cure this with lifestyle choice" is just demonstrating your own ignorance on the subject.

Parroting the same line by the medical establishment demonstrates your own naivety on health in general. I can assure you people have done exactly what I have said, they have cured all types of diabetes before. That isn't something modern medicine can say; they cure NOTHING, only treat symptoms.

 

[The Other Andy]

Individual states could pass laws requiring that insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions. States currently require mandates. From Idaho with 14 mandates to Minnesota with 63. Of course with these mandates comes a higher price.
Individual states also offer low cost or free insurance to low income individuals as well as those that are unemployable.
It all goes back to allowing the states to set there own guidelines instead of a federal one plan fits all approach.

I'm going to chip in here as I am directly affected. I was diagnosed at birth with Phenylketonuria (PKU). READ. As a genetic disorder, simply "eating healthy and getting excercise" won't help much. In order to keep from becoming severely malnourished, I have to consume a supplement similar to those protein powders you can get at GNC. In addition to various vitamins and nutrients, it includes protein has been engineered without Phenylalanine (the amino acid that I can't digest properly, read the link).

Wisconsin pays for this. Essentially the UW Clinic charges (I think it's around $9) the parents of a newborn to test for the disorder. Some of that money is set aside in a fund to pay for the formula that I and others in the state require. I understand (and sympathize) with the "Why should I have to pay" mentality (though the child should be tested either way, left untreated it will result in severe mental retardation and seizures), and I've been exploring other options. Understand, however, that this stuff is freaking expensive. I use Mead-Johnson's Phenyl-free HP2.

http://www.drugstore.com/mead-johns...alanine-free-diet-powder-childadult/qxp308421
>$50 a can, which would last about 2 1/2 days for me.

Some have mentioned forcing private insurance to cover it. I vehemently oppose that idea for two reasons: 1. It goes 100% against the idea of private insurance, 2. Insurance companies are very good at making loopholes (just ask anyone with PKU in a state that has done this). In fact, John Kerry has proposed the Medical Food Equities Act that would force private insurance to cover stuff like this on a nation-wide level, and i have written against this (I can post that essay here if anyone cares to read it).

As I said, I have been looking at other options. As far as I am aware there are no private charities that help with it. I assume that has to do with the shear cost of the stuff, and the variety of products needed. I'm going to explore that route further though. Maybe I'll join the free state project and set up a charity there.

The simple fact is that there are no easy-fixes for some problems. I think some on this board tend to oversimplify many things.

 

[Mythias]

I find it disheartening to hear good people so often argue over money when talking about a person's life. Life and liberty is what I am for, not just liberty alone. Sure money is a part of everything including being alive but dang, can't people have a heart. If it was you or your dad, would certain people still respond in such ways? Don't let your passion for liberty turn you into a advocate for personal greed. Life and liberty is something we should be trying to not only have for ourselves but also for our fellow man, along with some human decency. I'm sure I have ruffled some feathers but I don't care, I ruffle feathers all the time. Some times it's the only way to get a person's attention and get people to listen.

 

[tttppp]

Hey everyone, I just joined these forums so I apologize since there may already be a thread like this, but I am having trouble taking a free market stance on this issue. Like many other Americans who have this problem, my father often makes a point in support of Obamacare using the fact that he has lived his life with juvenile (type 1) diabetes and has been mostly unable to get health insurance. While I understand that no government philosophy leads to a utopia, and certainly not one with the measures made in Obamacare, I am having trouble figuring what government nonintervention could do to fix this issue. Obviously the main culprit here is the insurance companies, but at this point unfortunately everyone is dependent on them despite their practices. I have learned of the many free market solutions in terms of lowering health care costs and raising the quality of health care, but there are many other issues that must be dealt with. I am sick of hearing conservative politicians defending insurance companies with the argument that "well, no car insurance company should be forced to cover automobiles that are already broken down". I do believe in property/contract rights, but so many Americans are denied health insurance without Obamacare.
With all this said, I do however understand the consequences of Obamacare (lower quality care, higher costs, rationing, etc.), but is there any other solution? Maybe through tax incentives for health insurance companies?

Well, any answers to my question would truly be helpful, I am really glad I joined these forums. Ron Paul 2012!

The main thing to do is switch to chinese traditional medicine which will actually cure these conditions. Instead of having to take drugs for the rest of your life, you can do acupuncture and herbs for a few months, then never need treatment again.

Also, I don't understand everyone obsession with pre existing conditions. EVERYONE has a pre existing condition. There are very very few people with perfect health. Just about everyone has some sort of imbalance. Nobody should be punished just for being diagnosed with something by some stupid doctor. By switching to CTM people would realize this.

 

[MelissaWV]

Screw it.

 

[LibertyRevolution]

Insurance is for in case something happens.
If something is already wrong with you, why should they be forced to insure you?
They make their money betting that something wont happen to you.
They are a business, they exist to make a profit, not help people.
If you have some existing condition that is gonna cost them more than your gonna pay in, why would you expect them to cover you?
Insurance is not a charity, it is there to cover healthy people in case unforeseeable shit happens.

Expecting an insurance company to cover someone with a existing condition would be like...
Forcing a jewelry store owner to hire a known felon as security, even though they have the background check saying he robs jewelery stores..

So what are you to do?? Find a charity to help you. Ask your church. Ask your friends. Ask your family. Ask random strangers.
All that fails, guess its time for you to die, survival of the fittest you know..
What you should NOT do is use government force to rob me to pay for your bills.


EDIT:
Yeah that came across a bit cold there at the end..
Thought about changing it, but you know what, a little hard dose reality may help some others out..

 

[tttppp]

You're not being punished. You're being denied access to a private contract that states that, for a static monthly premium on par with healthier people, you will be provided with care and medication for your condition.

Just because you have been diagnosed with something, doesn't mean you're any less curable than someone who has not been diagnosed with something. Doctors don't know anything. Insurance companies should not be making decisions based on what some stupid doctor says. Everyone has some sort of pre existing condition. It just happens that doctors were able to notice some of them. So people who have been diagnosed with something are being denied access for no good reason at all.

 

[MelissaWV]

Just because you have been diagnosed with something, doesn't mean you're any less curable than someone who has not been diagnosed with something. Doctors don't know anything. Insurance companies should not be making decisions based on what some stupid doctor says. Everyone has some sort of pre existing condition. It just happens that doctors were able to notice some of them. So people who have been diagnosed with something are being denied access for no good reason at all.

They are being denied COVERAGE (not access) by a private insurance company which has determined they are high risk. "High risk" involves complications, costs for car, etc.. That is the entire point of an insurance company, and the only way they are ever going to stay afloat. Offering everyone the same coverage and premiums because "everyone has something" is ridiculous. It is insurance, not a payment plan; if you would like a payment plan, work with your provider(s) and pharmacy.

 

[tttppp]

They are being denied COVERAGE (not access) by a private insurance company which has determined they are high risk. "High risk" involves complications, costs for car, etc.. That is the entire point of an insurance company, and the only way they are ever going to stay afloat. Offering everyone the same coverage and premiums because "everyone has something" is ridiculous. It is insurance, not a payment plan; if you would like a payment plan, work with your provider(s) and pharmacy.

What exactly makes them high risk? A doctor diagnosed them with something? Thats bullshit. There is no proof that someone who is diagnosed with something is any less curable than someone who has not been diagnosed with something. I'm proof. I needed a similar amount of treatment as people with cancer or a failing liver, but according to doctors, I was completely healthy. Point is, doctors are retards, and we should not be basing any decisions on what they say.

 

[MelissaWV]

Screw it.

 

[tod evans]

Point is, doctors are retards, and we should not be basing any decisions on what they say.

Cool,

You do your herbal stuff.....Some of us prefer to trust our health to a person who has studied and understood both medicine and modern pharmacology.

Personally I prefer a doctor versed in homeopathic and modern medicine but that's me and I'm not calling herbologists or homeopaths stupid or retarded.

I kind of like the fact that modern medicine offers such "stupid" things as a laboratory, CAT & PET scans, laparoscopic surgery to mention a few..

 

[tttppp]

You're not understanding... the insurance company is not betting on whether or not you will get better. They are betting on how much money you will cost them.

I do understand that. If our system was based on Chinese traditional medicine, the amount of money you would cost them would be proportional to how long it takes you to get better. There really is no great measurement of how long it will take you to get better. Even in CTM, you don't know how long it will take to get better until you actually get treated. So its pointless to base a system on pre existing conditions.

More important questions should be "do you smoke, drink, eat bad foods, etc." Statistically the people who do these things will cost more than the people who don't.

 

[MelissaWV]

Screw it.

 

[tttppp]

Cool,

You do your herbal stuff.....Some of us prefer to trust our health to a person who has studied and understood both medicine and modern pharmacology.

Personally I prefer a doctor versed in homeopathic and modern medicine but that's me and I'm not calling herbologists or homeopaths stupid or retarded.

I kind of like the fact that modern medicine offers such "stupid" things as a laboratory, CAT & PET scans, laparoscopic surgery to mention a few..

Unless you have an emergency situation, alternative treatments are best. Western medicine is fine if you break your leg, have severe cancer, need a new organ immediately, etc. Unless you are in that situation, I'd go with a good alternative provider and not look back.

A good provider can diagnose you by looking at your tongue. So there is usually no need for a doctor's diagnostic tests...unless its an emergency.

 

[dannno]

I would think in a free market your dad would be able to get health coverage on everything except the diabetes treatment. It might be expensive, but it would at least be available.

Currently, I imagine, there are probably some regulations against doing that which prevents insurance companies from writing custom contracts for people with pre-existing conditions. There is a big market for people with pre-existing conditions, not sure why a company wouldn't want to extract premiums out of them and then just pay for any future health problems.

But I also agree with other posters that your dad could likely cure his condition with a change in diet. In fact, most conditions can be cured with a change in diet. Most of the foods that are causing these diseases are actually subsidized by government, making them cheaper. This puts people with limited means in a tough position because they either have to spend more on food to keep up their health or spend less on food now and spend much more later on health care.

 

[tttppp]

Smokers do pay more, and alcohol in small quantities is actually good for most people. There are no "bad foods," just morons who eat tons and tons of foods that are not going to be properly processed by their bodies.

I agree smokers should pay more. People who don't take care of their bodies should pay more because they will cost more.

I disagree that there are morons that just eat too much. This is rarely the case. The majority of eating problems are people who eat the wrong foods. People on a typical american diet with lots of dairy, butter, and meat fats will have lots of more health problems than people who don't eat this stuff. Insurance applications should be asking this stuff.

 

[MelissaWV]

Screw it.

 

[tttppp]

Um, so "lots" is not "tons and tons"... ? That doesn't mean quantity of individual foods. I am referring to the number of foods that are fatty, processed, etc.. There really is no way to measure this, though, other than testing things like cholesterol and tracking weight and stress tests and other things that are more involved than looking at someone's tongue

You can find out if someone has been eating meat fat by looking at their tongue.

 

[MelissaWV]

Screw it.