Health Reform in The USA

Since the health care reform debate seems to keep dragging on, I figured it might be interesting to some of us if I outlined a short summary of the history of this issue. Some of you probably think this all just start popping up this year, or last year. You would be wrong. Your parents and grandparents probably debated this issue. And it looks like their generations actually got something done!

If you think I left something out, please feel free to register and comment! These are just notes, rather than an essay. I just wanted to give everybody an outline of the basics of heath reform ideas, progress, and battles in this century.

By the way, I got inspired for this by Health Care Reform – Where are We Now?

Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Truman

In the 1910s Teddy Roosevelt was actually a progressive candidate. He campaigned on the promise of national health care, women’s voting rights, and safer working conditions for workers. He lost that campaign to Woodrow Wilson.

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Can You Afford Prescriptios and Other Health Care?

We have published some articles on health insurance, and even ranted a bit about health reform in the US. I do not care what your political outlook is right now, but you have to know that the US health system has some big problems that affect patients, doctors, and employers. In fact, every player in this issue has a crisis to deal with right now, and I wish our own government could somehow get past the silly stuff and get some work done.

Who Needs Help Affording Health Care?

We have gotten some very sincere emails from our previous posts. I am not going to pubish them because of privacy issues. You will have to take my word for it. People are having real trouble because they cannot afford prescriptions or other health services. I think this problem is really tough for those of us betwee about 50 and 64. We are too young for Medicare, and too old to easilly qualify for private individual policies. Even if some of us have health isurance, our policies may not be all that good. I have heard of tragic cases of people running out of benefits or having huge copays, deductibles, or limits when they needed expensive medical treatment.

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Having Trouble Keeping up with Health Reform?

If you are having a hard time keeping the health reform proposals straight, I have to tell you that you are not alone! Wow, I believe this is what we call a total SNAFU. The Obama White House, such strong advocates of health reform when running for office, has been strangely silent. As of this morning, as I write this, Howard Dean said the whole thing should just be scrapped for a do-over. I have to admit that this same thought has crossed my mind quite a few times in the past few weeks.

Yes, I am a Liberal

What do you want out of me? I grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota, the land of prarie politics and George McGovern. We were clear eyed idealists back when I was a Young Democrat who made phone calls for that campaign. I wasn’t old enough to vote then, but now I have been old enough to vote for a long time. The more things change….. Well, you know what it means now.

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What’s New For Medicare Health Plans in 2010

Change isn’t always well anticipated by Medicare beneficiaries, but you can be sure that CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid) is working for seniors and other Medicare recipients. Most US Seniors do rely on Medicare for their health insurance, though many purchase a private supplement to help manage costs for things that the basic Part A and Part B do not cover. If you do have a Medicare supplement, it is important for you to stay updated on your plan and your options.

Finding Medicare Health Insurance Quotes and Information

You can also find Medicare Health Insurance Quotes with simple online quote forms. And Medicare.gov has lots of good information, including a way to find plans that are marketed in your local area. Even though Medicare is a US federal program, private supplements, MA, and Part D Prescription plans are different by state, county, or even zip code.

2010 Medicare Supplement Changes

Medicare supplements, also known as medsups or medigap policies, are standardized by the government. You have probably heard about Plan A, Plan B, etc. This is not to be confused with Part A and Part B which are the parts of original medicare. We found a good post – Changes to Medicare 2010 - which outlines some of the more signifigant differences which will start in January.

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Will Health Reform Hurt Medicare?

This is sort of sadly ironic to me. I was always holding up Medicare as an American example of public health insurance, and I held it up as a good example! Now we have pundits on TV, and those 60 plus folks claiming that a revamp of US health insurance and health care will hurt Medicare. Among the claims are these, so-called, death interviews, which are supposed to make the infirm feel as if they are taking up to much space. But what is really true about health reform and Medicare?

The Great Senior Scare

I borrowed senior scare from factcheck.org. They outed one of the misleading (totally untrue!) ads from 60 plus.

Myth: Health reform will cut 500 billion dollars from Medicare.
Truth: Health reform will trim about half that from projected growth over the next 10 years.

Do you see the difference between cutting half a trillion dollars, and cutting a quarter of a trillion dollars from growth over the next decade?

Don’t Panic Yet – About Health Reform, That IS

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Medicare Health – Many Choices – Lots of Confusion!

>>>Find Low Cost, High Qualify Medicare Health Plans with A Fast, Safe, and Free Zip Code Search

The good news is that US senior citizens have more Medicare health plan choices than they used to. The not-so-good news is that those choices seem to come bundled with a lot of confusion. Seniors had the two original Medicare plans, part A and part B. Then came supplemental Medicare health insurance policies to fill in the “gaps” for things that Medicare did not pay. More recently, private insurers were able to off Medicare Advantage plans, which bundled medical coverage in one plan. And finally, Medicare Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage) hit the market.

Confused by it all? You are not alone, and it can be very tough to choose the Medicare Health plan, or combination of health plans, that will work the best for you. After all, everybody has different needs, expectations, and budgets. And of course, plans vary by county, zip code, and state, and so it would be impossible for anybody to say which plan is best. You need to find the best plan for you.

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Can you find invidual health insurance over age 50 or over age 60 in the US?

Of course it is tough to find affordable health insurance for many Americans. Otherwise, with rising health care costs, we would not see almost 50 million uninsured Americans. In addition to the 47 million uninsured Americans, I would bet that at least twice that number are not very well insured to make certain that their health is protected. I have heard so many horror stories of mini-med plans that top out at very low amounts which will not cover any sort of serious injury or illness.

From my own experience working with insurance, I know that the situation is particularly difficult to obtain health insurance over 50 or over 60! Of course, Medicare should kick in at age 65, but what about adequate health cover until them?

Where Baby Boomers Can Look For Health Insurance

The best you can do is to compare health insurance plans and quotes, and then if you still have a problem obtaining health coverage, consult with your state insurance department for high risk health insurance options. HSA plans with fairly high deductibles, but with health savings accounts that earn interest and tax breaks are good bets for middle aged peoples. The money can be used for all sorts of medical services, even some that are not covered by most medical plans, and any unused money can be withdrawn at retirement (Medicare) age!

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