Insurance Industry Myths about the Uninsured

[antigop]

http://wendellpotter.com/2012/06/insurance-industry-myths-about-the-uninsured/

In 2007, a few months before I left the health insurance industry, I was tasked to write a “white paper” designed to help convince media folks and politicians that the problem of the uninsured wasn’t much of a problem after all. If demographic data was sliced just so, I was expected to write, it was easy to conclude that many of the uninsured — some 46 million at the time — were that way by choice.

I was told to point out, for example, that a significant percentage of people without coverage were in families with annual incomes of $75,000 or more. The implication: That those folks were simply shirking their responsibilities. A crucial fact that I was not to disclose, of course, was that many Americans, including wealthy ones, couldn’t buy coverage at any price because of pre-existing conditions. These are the “untouchables” as far as insurance companies were concerned. (That’s my term, not the industry’s. The underwriters prefer the term “uninsurable.”)

I also was expected to stress that most young adults — who comprise the largest segment of the uninsured — had chosen to “go naked” because they felt invincible. They simply didn’t want to pay good money for insurance because that cash could better be spent keeping the fridge stocked with Bud Light. To perpetuate that myth, we even came up with a catchy name for those twenty-somethings — the “young invincibles.”

Our message to America: Don’t feel sorry for those irresponsible bums, and by all means don’t let Congress pass any new laws that would require insurers to cover them.

Having to write that paper was one of the reasons I resigned. As the father of a couple young adults, I knew that their crowd did not consider themselves invincible. They simply did not have money left over after paying student loans and the rent to buy health insurance.

[turtlerescue1]

1. sometimes.

Spent the majority of my life in health care work. Then it was simple math, pay a monthly insurance premium or rent and utilities.

Now at nearly 62, and with a work-related past injury, am in my second month of living on partial SS. In the last two years I've seen a doc twice; the first was due to pneumonia that everyone around me...well was working in a school kitchen at the time, co workers literally ratpacked me, and insisted I walk into an ER. It was pretty serious. About nine months ago at 11 pm drove the 25 miles to that ER, had fallen and couldn't get up, knee injury, so crawled over and got the roll of sports tape that had become a part of daily life. Taped the fool leg so tight wasn't sure if there would be any bloodflow in the drive to the ER.

Both times I explained the reality of my finances at the Admit Desk.

There are meds/Rxs I should be taking daily, its not those I cannot afford, its the Office Visit.

It would be comforting to be able to have a physical to see what part of aging is impacting this body, and what to be alerted to in the future. As it is my neighbors and friends know if they see me convulsing or in pain-to notify ONLY those related to organ donations and that includes cadaver tendons. Just the way it is, living "naturally".

Years ago had a neighbor who spent so many days each month not eating, so that she could afford her meds. At the time it didn't make sense, NOW-oh yeah.

A close friend works for a large medical group out West, she has very opposing views on "socialized health care". IF you don't walk a mile in someone else's shoes, you have absolutely no perceptions of the walk, eh?

[KT2000]

2. another comforting myth

is that people who cannot pay their hospital bills will have them written off. Dangerous myth.