It ought to help, not harm
Published 3:31 pm Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The bickering, would-be GOP presidential nominees all agree on one thing: Declare “Obamacare” DOA. While the part of the national health care law that has been implemented — letting 20-somethings remain on their parents’ insurance — has been successful, all other aspects of the plan remain under fire.
For example, one aspect of the law requires most insurance plans to pay for preventive care and/or screenings. Making news last week was an article headlined, “’Free’ preventive health procedures can become expensive.” The article focused on Bill Dunphy, who had a colonoscopy, which his insurance company told him would be free because it was a “preventive” screening. During the procedure, however, two polyps were discovered and removed, turning the exam into a “diagnostic procedure,” for which the insurance company can charge.
So Dunphy’s free colonoscopy turned into a $1,100 procedure, on top of his $400 monthly premium.
Like many Americans, Dunphy has a high-deductible insurance plan, the Associated Press reported, and he hadn’t satisfied it yet, so he received a big bill instead.
The problem, in this case, is not the health-care law and its mandate for free preventive screenings, but the complete and utter unaffordability of most insurance plans.
Of course physicians need to charge when a screening procedure turns into a surgical procedure, which is often the case with colonoscopies, and exactly why they are effective as preventive medicine. But it doesn’t mean a free procedure should transform into an unaffordable one.
The change from a free screening to a diagnostic one should be an affordable co-pay, not a savings-depleting deductible.
That is the real problem — the monstrous deductibles people must pay their insurance companies — often between $2,000-$6,000, before getting help from the company. These amounts have risen dramatically in the past few years, with everyone blaming the specter of Obamacare, regardless of the reality.
This is why even people who have insurance can end up going bankrupt after a medical emergency, or a routine screening.
Another article last week further illustrated the problem: People are going to daily deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial to get a deal on teeth cleaning, eye exams, chiropractic care, and even medical exams, AP reported.
The article states that the “growth in health-related deals is good news for millions of Americans” because 46.3 million Americans under 65 have no health coverage, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On the other hand, it’s horrible, shameful news that Americans have to bargain hunt for medical care, especially for basic preventive care, such as teeth cleaning, like it’s on par with a mobile phone contract.
