insurance

[Guest guest]

Amen to that Willem....at least in Canada we can see all the docs we want....but

I still can't get tx cuz my ALT is too low....go figure. I see that Kerry says

he'd make healthcare affordable and available to everyone in the USA....politics

ARGGGGGG.

Carol

Re: insurance

[Guest guest]

Healthcare will never happen under this administration...not a chance. In fact,

the medicare drug program he pushed through Congress...well, it's only certain

pharmas that are contracted (his donors), and they have raised the prices to

compensate for the medicare prescription program so the drugs the elderly need

to live are now more expensive than they were.

Tatezi

" You are the haves and the have mores. " Some people call you the elite...I call

you my base. " ~ W. Bush at a fundraiser in 2003.~

Re: insurance

HI.Power to the people.This is ridiculous.

[Guest guest]

Healthcare will never happen under this administration...not a chance. In fact,

the medicare drug program he pushed through Congress...well, it's only certain

pharmas that are contracted (his donors), and they have raised the prices to

compensate for the medicare prescription program so the drugs the elderly need

to live are now more expensive than they were.

Tatezi

" You are the haves and the have mores. " Some people call you the elite...I call

you my base. " ~ W. Bush at a fundraiser in 2003.~

Re: insurance

HI.Power to the people.This is ridiculous.

[Guest guest]

Healthcare will never happen under this administration...not a chance. In fact,

the medicare drug program he pushed through Congress...well, it's only certain

pharmas that are contracted (his donors), and they have raised the prices to

compensate for the medicare prescription program so the drugs the elderly need

to live are now more expensive than they were.

Tatezi

" You are the haves and the have mores. " Some people call you the elite...I call

you my base. " ~ W. Bush at a fundraiser in 2003.~

Re: insurance

HI.Power to the people.This is ridiculous.

[Guest guest]

Healthcare will never happen under this administration...not a chance. In fact,

the medicare drug program he pushed through Congress...well, it's only certain

pharmas that are contracted (his donors), and they have raised the prices to

compensate for the medicare prescription program so the drugs the elderly need

to live are now more expensive than they were.

Tatezi

" You are the haves and the have mores. " Some people call you the elite...I call

you my base. " ~ W. Bush at a fundraiser in 2003.~

Re: insurance

HI.Power to the people.This is ridiculous.

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I have Medicare and between that and my hubby's insurance, most of

my implant cost was covered.

Medicare covers implants, but not sure exactly what they pay..

someone else here will more than likely have an answer to this.

Have you been evaluated to see if you qualify for a ci yet?

Are you located in NYC?

Please know that we are here for any questions you might have and

you can email me either here on the forum or by private email.

Perhaps you could tell us a bit about your hearing history?

We're always interested and will do our best to provide answers to

your questions.

Nice to have you here with us.

Hugs,

Silly MI

In , " redheadnyc2000 " <pjones456@a...> wrote:

> I'm thinking of getting an implant

> are there insurance companies that will

> cover it? right now I have medicare

[Guest guest]

I didn't say anything about Kerry...you are mixing up what I wrote from the news

this morning about the medicare prescription plan with Carol's post about Kerry.

And my comment about no healthcare plan being implemented with this

administration...that is fact...not an endorsement for any other administration.

insurance

I don't believe for a minute that Kerry can do any better. I am yet to hear a

plan, only that he can make healthcare more affordable. To everyone? That is a

pipe dream. People like us, not poor, not wealthy, are caught in the middle and

have to pay if they can't get insurance, and eventually lose everything we have

spent a lifetime accumulating, house, land, horses, the whole nine yards. He is

not going to fix that.

[Guest guest]

I didn't say anything about Kerry...you are mixing up what I wrote from the news

this morning about the medicare prescription plan with Carol's post about Kerry.

And my comment about no healthcare plan being implemented with this

administration...that is fact...not an endorsement for any other administration.

insurance

I don't believe for a minute that Kerry can do any better. I am yet to hear a

plan, only that he can make healthcare more affordable. To everyone? That is a

pipe dream. People like us, not poor, not wealthy, are caught in the middle and

have to pay if they can't get insurance, and eventually lose everything we have

spent a lifetime accumulating, house, land, horses, the whole nine yards. He is

not going to fix that.

[Guest guest]

I didn't say anything about Kerry...you are mixing up what I wrote from the news

this morning about the medicare prescription plan with Carol's post about Kerry.

And my comment about no healthcare plan being implemented with this

administration...that is fact...not an endorsement for any other administration.

insurance

I don't believe for a minute that Kerry can do any better. I am yet to hear a

plan, only that he can make healthcare more affordable. To everyone? That is a

pipe dream. People like us, not poor, not wealthy, are caught in the middle and

have to pay if they can't get insurance, and eventually lose everything we have

spent a lifetime accumulating, house, land, horses, the whole nine yards. He is

not going to fix that.

[Guest guest]

I didn't say anything about Kerry...you are mixing up what I wrote from the news

this morning about the medicare prescription plan with Carol's post about Kerry.

And my comment about no healthcare plan being implemented with this

administration...that is fact...not an endorsement for any other administration.

insurance

I don't believe for a minute that Kerry can do any better. I am yet to hear a

plan, only that he can make healthcare more affordable. To everyone? That is a

pipe dream. People like us, not poor, not wealthy, are caught in the middle and

have to pay if they can't get insurance, and eventually lose everything we have

spent a lifetime accumulating, house, land, horses, the whole nine yards. He is

not going to fix that.

[Guest guest]

Interesting article

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20040621-010906-8408r.htm

Analysis: What's ailing U.S. healthcare?

By Ellen Beck

United Press International

Washington, DC, Jun. 21 (UPI) -- There is a story that goes if you ask a

group of people their thoughts on the U.S. healthcare system most will tell you

it

is in crisis. Most people in that very same group, however, in the next

breath, will tell you they love their physician, they're pleased with their

local

hospital and they've had no real problems with their health insurer.So, then,

what's wrong with America's healthcare system? Both that story and that theme

are echoed at almost every health policy conference and forum and last week's

America's Health Insurance Plan's 2004 Institute in Chicago was no exception.

AHIP brought together noted health policy experts who, though colleagues and

friends, had distinctly different opinions.To a large extent the diversity of

opinion mirrors the healthcare discussion in America. We know there is a problem

-- maybe a number of key problems -- and we are in the process of distilling

them down and figuring out solutions. The discussion has begun on the industry

side -- and eventually it will roll into the discussion on the consumer side

-- and Congress will give it more election year lip service.Current retirees

and the 76 million baby boomers who soon begin retiring often are seen as one

problem. Actually, they are two separate issues.Geoffrey Colvin, senior editor

at large at Fortune Magazine, told the conference that with more than a

half-million current retirees, along with current workers, the Big Three

automakers

-- General Motors, Ford and Chrysler -- are like HMOs on wheels. There's

$1,200 of healthcare in each GM car, more than the value of the steel, he said,

in

talking about how the company factors in health benefits -- many negotiated

years ago by strong unions at a time when people did not live as long. Back

then, the cost of healthcare was far less and there were not as many healthcare

technologies and therapies to use.Now, along comes Toyota, soon to take over the

No. 3 spot from Chrysler, Colvin noted. Why? Toyota, is building more plants

in the United States, supports only 49 retirees and does not offer such lavish

health benefits. " If the Big Three didn't have to put $1,200 of healthcare in

their cars they might still be the Big Three, " he said.Those aging baby

boomers, however, are not the problem in U.S. healthcare, said Uwe Reinhardt, a

noted health policy expert and economist at Princeton University.He told the

conference the United States is a fairly young country when compared to Japan

and

Germany and others in Europe, and will remain so even when the boomers

retire.Economists like to view healthcare spending as a percentage of gross

domestic

product -- the higher the percentage, the bigger the problem. Reinhardt's

analysis, however, finds even if healthcare spending reaches 20 percent of GDP

as

the boomers begin to retire in 2013 -- up from around 13 percent now -- the

U.S. economy as a whole will have grown, so in reality there will be as much

non-healthcare GDP as there is now, making that increased spending a

non-issue. " So the party can go on, " he said. " It will go on -- we can afford

it. " America

already is affording itself a great deal of healthcare -- $1.6 trillion per

year at last count. The 2003 increase was 7.4 percent, according to the Centers

for Studying Health System Change, located in Washington, compared to a 3.8

percent growth in the GDP. Employers are frantic to control health insurance

premiums rising at around 13 percent to 15 percent each year to cover that

consumption. Because AHIP is a health insurer's conference, it was not a big

surprise

to hear Leonard Schaeffer, chairman and chief executive officer WellPoint,

which had revenue growth of 21 percent in 2003 and is widely considered one of

the best for-profit health insurers in the country, use HSC numbers to tell the

audience that hospitals were behind 53 percent of the increase in healthcare

costs -- with legislative policy, regulatory burdens and litigation at 22

percent and prescription drugs accounting for 20 percent.Schaeffer said large

hospital systems drive costs by forcing insurers to accept all their hospitals

in

one, negotiated deal. He said new technology is coming online but not

replacing old technology -- another cost problem in terms of operating multiple

systems. Already insurers are seeing increased demands from consumers who are

" Internet positive, " meaning they arrive at the physician's office fresh from

searching the Internet for the latest in expensive treatments and therapies for

whatever they perceive ails them.Health insurers, by and large, have had at

least

several very profitable years -- and get criticized for what their

administrative costs add to premiums -- so employer unhappiness over cost hikes

is a

threat.At the heart of it all -- and going back to the folks who are happy with

their healthcare lot -- American consumers want the best healthcare available,

without restrictions, just as long as someone else -- insurer or employer or

government -- pays for it. They have very little direct connection to the true

costs of healthcare.Healthcare costs overall are increasing, but the real truth

is overall consumer spending on healthcare has dropped, while employer

spending has risen dramatically. It raises the question of whether U.S.

companies

can compete nationally or globally when they carry so much of the healthcare

cost burden. In automaking and other major industries, it affects international

competition, but at home it emerges as grocery store contract battles in

California over health benefits brought on by the influx of non-union, Wal-Mart

stores into many markets. This underlies the discussion of healthcare as a

social

issue. What does America owe people in terms of healthcare?Viagra is a small

but interesting sliver of the issue, where the debate today is not whether the

health plan covers the popular drug for erectile dysfunction, Schaeffer said.

It is how many pills make up a one-month's supply. He joked if men were asked

that question the answer was 36, while if women were asked the answer was

three. " Are we responsible for 36 pills or three? That's a social value, not a

healthcare question, " he said.A larger part of that social picture is made up by

the 44 million uninsured and while Reinhardt said America can afford for the

healthcare party to go on, not all Americans are invited to the party. " I

personally believe the aging of the baby boomers and entitlements (Medicare and

Medicaid) are not the problem, " he said. " The way we run entitlements is. " He

said

current healthcare trends are pricing the low- and moderate-income workers

right out of the market. For example, in 10 years if the average wage increases

4.5 percent but the average cost of health insurance grows at 10 percent -- less

than it is increasing now -- employers will drop the benefit and people will

drop coverage because they cannot afford it. Reinhardt said the top third of

taxpayers will have to pay higher taxes to provide the bottom third of

Americans access to healthcare.He said the United States must control costs by

getting

better quality healthcare for each dollar spent. He advised policymakers not

to worry about whether Medicare is going to go broke and focus instead on

where healthcare dollars need to go to ensure the best services for all, adding

that financing is an afterthought.Schaeffer said by 2010, " healthcare will be

the center of the American economy, " but the quest will be to ensure that all

Americans can afford it. Consumers do not want to pay more, businesses will not

pay much more and the health insurance industry has found restricting access

did not work in permanently holding down costs.He said healthcare must focus on

controlling costs, through disease management and other incentive programs,

among the small minority of chronically ill or severely ill patients who use up

the vast majority of the healthcare dollars spent each year. Former Senate

Majority Leader , a Democrat from Maine, got a standing ovation

from the AHIP audience -- at least one attendee suggested a Kerry-

Democratic ticket or even a -for-president campaign. said if

the United States continues with an employer-based insurance system Congress

must work to ensure coverage for all Americans. He said the failure of the

Clinton healthcare plan in the 1990s showed it cannot be done in a single

legislative step. " America's legislative process doesn't deal well with these

huge

issues, especially in the Senate, " he said. " So you need to deal with it in

incremental steps. " said because there is no shopping around in

healthcare

-- the seller or doctor dictates to the buyer-patient what he or she needs and

the patient feels better the more of it he or she gets -- it is " exceedingly

difficult to produce a legislative solution. " He suggested expanding the

Federal Employee Health Benefits Program to the broader population and added

America

must get beyond politics and establish a system, based on the country's

social traditions, that provides coverage to the uninsured. The FEHBP idea also

is

at the crux of more conservative ideas about healthcare, which call for more

government subsidies to cover indigent healthcare but eliminating the tax break

companies get for providing healthcare to employees.The idea of tax credits

and health savings accounts, pushed by the Bush administration, fits into that

theme. It is a way of removing insurance from the employer realm and giving

more responsibility and choice to consumers.Consumers who are happy with their

healthcare plan now could be facing higher out-of-pocket costs. Just how they

rate their doctor, hospital and insurance plan might be vastly different if

they are paying a bigger chunk of the bill.--Ellen Beck is UPI's Health Policy

Editor. E-mail e-beck@...

[Guest guest]

I didn't mean to start a war here....I know nothing about your politics and

don't want to know....I simply pointed out an advertisement I've seen on TV ad

nauseaum. I know it's not right to discuss politics on here which why I put the

ARGGGGG in the sentence. Enuff said.

Carol

insurance

I don't believe for a minute that Kerry can do any better. I am yet to hear a

plan, only that he can make healthcare more affordable. To everyone? That is a

pipe dream. People like us, not poor, not wealthy, are caught in the middle and

have to pay if they can't get insurance, and eventually lose everything we have

spent a lifetime accumulating, house, land, horses, the whole nine yards. He is

not going to fix that.

[Guest guest]

I didn't mean to start a war here....I know nothing about your politics and

don't want to know....I simply pointed out an advertisement I've seen on TV ad

nauseaum. I know it's not right to discuss politics on here which why I put the

ARGGGGG in the sentence. Enuff said.

Carol

insurance

I don't believe for a minute that Kerry can do any better. I am yet to hear a

plan, only that he can make healthcare more affordable. To everyone? That is a

pipe dream. People like us, not poor, not wealthy, are caught in the middle and

have to pay if they can't get insurance, and eventually lose everything we have

spent a lifetime accumulating, house, land, horses, the whole nine yards. He is

not going to fix that.

[Guest guest]

I didn't mean to start a war here....I know nothing about your politics and

don't want to know....I simply pointed out an advertisement I've seen on TV ad

nauseaum. I know it's not right to discuss politics on here which why I put the

ARGGGGG in the sentence. Enuff said.

Carol

insurance

I don't believe for a minute that Kerry can do any better. I am yet to hear a

plan, only that he can make healthcare more affordable. To everyone? That is a

pipe dream. People like us, not poor, not wealthy, are caught in the middle and

have to pay if they can't get insurance, and eventually lose everything we have

spent a lifetime accumulating, house, land, horses, the whole nine yards. He is

not going to fix that.

[Guest guest]

I didn't mean to start a war here....I know nothing about your politics and

don't want to know....I simply pointed out an advertisement I've seen on TV ad

nauseaum. I know it's not right to discuss politics on here which why I put the

ARGGGGG in the sentence. Enuff said.

Carol

insurance

I don't believe for a minute that Kerry can do any better. I am yet to hear a

plan, only that he can make healthcare more affordable. To everyone? That is a

pipe dream. People like us, not poor, not wealthy, are caught in the middle and

have to pay if they can't get insurance, and eventually lose everything we have

spent a lifetime accumulating, house, land, horses, the whole nine yards. He is

not going to fix that.

[Guest guest]

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

A lot of what ails American health care and raises costs are the people who have

no insurance, will never have insurance, expect everything for free, and sit in

county clinics for their entire lives saping my tax dollars. Most are in the

country illegally.

The biggest money making business for Mexico is American illegal immigrants

sending over billions of dollars back into the Mexican economy to their

families. And the legal ones. My sister married a guy from Mexico. All their

used furntiure, appliances, cars, etc., even nails, goes back to Mexcio (he

works in construction). Instead of recycling and keeping the money here, it's

sent out of the country. Billions of dollars.

It's like a big huge black hole where money is just tossed into. Yes the people

are sick. But there's no return. The people aren't getting well and becoming

productive members of society, paying taxes (other than tax on bought items,

sales tax), to support the very system they so enjoy, suck dry, and then wonder

what happened.

This country didn't always have medicare and the like. It was built on

capitalism and only recently has it tried to socialize medicine. I sincerely

hope we don't continue socializing. It doesn't work. Thank goodness I'll be dead

by then.

On the chronically ill issue, we created the hep c epidemic ourselves. HCV has

been around for eons. Only thru modern medical techniques have we been able to

spread it so widely. Now we've been able to detect it (mostly), and if they wait

long enough, the epidemic will die off, and so will the problem. However this

won't work for HCV until we find a vaccine that everyone must take. It's not

working yet for HBV. Now more often than not, more people get ill from the

vaccines than from the thing they are vaccinated for. Time will tell.

- end of soapbox - don't reply, I won't respond - just a soapbox

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/2/2004 6:18:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

alleypat@... writes:

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

warning - soap box -

I'm on the same soap box. You wish to live here. Fine. Then you pay taxes

here. You recycle here. You work hard at becoming a LEGAL citizen. Then

we'll talk. No need to respond.........just agreeing. I worked on microscopes

in county health clinics. The clinic couldn't afford to pay me on time, but

one of their patients drove up in a BRAND NEW Lincoln. Now, I ask

you........how much health care would that have bought?

Anne

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/26/2004 10:18:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

tatezi@... writes:

Hello all,

We received a letter today stating that our group insurance policy will

be terminated July 31st. Does anyone know of an insurance company which will

accept someone with hepatitis c? My husband only has three months before

medicare, but I have 5 years, and hippa is only $100,000.00 lifetime maximum.

Thanks, Terry

Dear Terry,

First, why is your group insurance being terminated and do they offer an

individual policy?

Now, explain what hippa has to do with this or give me the meaning of the

anagram? You lost me.

Anne

[Guest guest]

Point...............just as an FYI. If you pay your insurance premium by the

year and they are changing you in midstream, they can't. Next point. What

reason did (in writing) did they give you for canceling your insurance?

Sorry, this is late. I had to go back through some old info.

Anne

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/27/2004 2:30:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

lands142@... writes:

HI.Power to the people.This is ridiculous.Dr. Luther king changed the

nation and abolished apartheid.By,yes huge demonstrations.If there are so many

of you who don.t hve insurance or proper healthcare why not organise a huge

demonstration and make this shame known to the nation and force them to

change,let it become a issue in the coming presidential electrion.Clinton tried

but he

failed because of lack of support from the masses.Organise,demonstrate let

the fuckers see huge crowds and they MUST change. in a country where

EVERYBODY has proper acces to healtcare.

Clinton failed, because Hillary's medical care bill was SO socialized that

nobody could swallow it. Not all of us came off the same assembly line. Thank

you very much........Sorry. That was a nightmare for anyone who truly wanted

to practice relatively intelligent medicine.

Anne

[Guest guest]

Tom <thomaslambirth@...> wrote:

Tom I did not read the post previous to yours; however, I was an insurance agent

and feel that all that would be necessary is to request of the previous

insurance company a certificate of coverage. That could be used with the new

employer to avoid pre-existing clauses.

The one catch is the time limit on making this request. So, please do it

quickly.

Jane

[Guest guest]

I had hep C as a dependent prior to having coverage on both Cigna and United

Health Care and have never had a problem getting coverage (this is thru my

husband's insurance at work). Is that what you are asking? I'm sure I've had

others in the interim, even as an employee, I just don't remember them all.

Companies change and their ins chagnes all the time. Never had a pre-existing

problem but once, and it was for the first 6 mo of (my) employment only

(probationary period).

Alley

[Guest guest]

someone asked if I had (or anyone) had experience and I mentioned my experience,

that's all. I'm not trying to dictate yours.

Can you get insurance offered by the state? Texas, for instance, has a high risk

pool where anyone can get insured. There are some drawbacks but you can get it.

Alley

[Guest guest]

<<It would be new coverage and they have the right to turn us down and have done

so.>>

In Texas, and don't quote me ok, you can't be turned down for new insurance if

you reinsure within like 6 mo after the old insurance. After that, then can be

turned down for pre-existing and stuff. It all changes state to state, and

changes by company size too, but, it's all wierd.

Since you are your own company, that is a different critter.

We've had to go patches with no insurance at all, or buy from the high risk

pool.

Alley

[Guest guest]

I'd like to agree with you, Alley, but Lousianna is a whole different ball

game...they make up their own rules down there...

But in Illinois as in Texas, they can not refuse to insure you if you apply

within 6 months of terminating your previous insurance.

But different states, different rules.

Re: insurance

<<It would be new coverage and they have the right to turn us down and have done

so.>>

In Texas, and don't quote me ok, you can't be turned down for new insurance if

you reinsure within like 6 mo after the old insurance. After that, then can be

turned down for pre-existing and stuff. It all changes state to state, and

changes by company size too, but, it's all wierd.