Re: [at-l] Health Insurance Revisited Again For the Second Time

["W F Thorneloe, MD" <thornel@attglobal.net>]

The short answer is "NO".

The long answer is, "just what do you think health insurance is for, 
helping out people? Puh-leeze!"

If you have pre-existing problems and need the prescription benefit, expect 
to have to chunk out the big bucks for the Cobra. You might want to run the 
numbers and see if you would do as well with a cheaper policy, and 
purchasing meds on your own. Some find it helpful to purchase annual 
supplies in other countries (Canada comes to mind) at marked discounts 
compared to US, often paying for the trip. Sometimes your doc can help out 
by adjusting meds to cheaper versions (often as effective but less 
convenient dosage patterns).

Insurance in the US is not a means of sharing risk and reducing cost to the 
individual. It is a means of prepayment given the high administrative costs 
of insurance companies, the demand of dividends to stock holders, and a 
focus on current profitability (rather than long term investment in a 
healthy population). A cheap individual policy when young makes some sense, 
especially if injuries on the trail are the greatest risk. If you are older 
or have pre-existing conditions, the insurance company only sees you as a 
costly customer. Welcome to the ranks of the 43M Americans without 
healthcare insurance. Expect the situation to get really bad when the next 
recession roles around, and a bunch of baby boomers lose jobs and discover 
no insurance benefits are available.

OrnageBug
Atlanta, GA

At 09:38 AM 2/17/2000 -0700, Kristen Kupersmith wrote:
>Is there such thing as a short-term insurance plan that covers 
>pre-existing conditions, and has a good prescription plan? Seems as though 
>most short-term plans are good for emergencies only, but leaves you high 
>and dry when it comes to your pre-existing conditions.... the reason why I 
>want insurance in the first place. So, since I do have pre-existing 
>condition(s), ought I just stick to COBRA?
>

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