If the Trump administration really wants to deprive and replace healthcare with all the right intentions, then their primary focus isn’t just on the American people. Administrations should include and focus their attention on these types of organizations as well: large pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers and insurance companies. This small list does not include lawyers whose legal expertise is suing companies all the time and other reasons why healthcare costs are out of control. These manufacturers, providers, insurance companies, and law firms are some of the main reasons why health insurance is so expensive. Did you know that there is no limit to the amount of money insurance companies can charge their customers for the amount of their monthly premium?
There is a lot of talk about tax credits, rising insurance costs, socioeconomic barriers, and the possibility of Medicaid being phased out altogether by 2020. These topics are cause for concern. Where and how will people buy all kinds of insurance? Specifically, how can those who earn the minimum wage and are not part of group coverage through their employer’s health plan obtain insurance? The complexity and legal jargon above in use today is just another way to cause confusion.
This is not a hard fix and just another way to keep the American people confused and confused. One thing that has been done right to some degree is when insurance companies use to calculate and follow the underwriting process. Underwriting is the process by which the insurance company will obtain information from the medical information bureau to review your medical history to determine risk tolerance. Today, this process has been eliminated; therefore, insurance companies do not know who they are insuring which causes ridiculous premiums. One way to lower the premium again is to let the underwriting process start again. No premium should be higher than their monthly mortgage, even if the whole family is insured. Insurers need to have the freedom once again to cover healthy people and adjust monthly premiums based on consumer risk factors.
The existing mandate under the Affordable Care Act guidelines must remain intact and no one should be denied coverage. Everyone should still be able to get coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions and if people are having financial difficulties then there should be financial assistance available to help people buy health insurance. More than enough money is spent on other things, such as defense and infrastructure spending, and not enough on humanity. Some states have what is known as a cost share reduction plan (csr) that limits the amount of money people pay on their deductibles and limits the maximum fees consumers will incur on medical expenses.
Ohio, California, and Georgia to name a few have such plans. Moreover, the state of New York, is a perfect example of caring for its economically struggling citizens. They have insurance available to people based on their income level and household size where consumers pay monthly premiums as low as $20.00 per month. It is having a God-like attitude and caring for the less fortunate. Other states need to follow and use the same approach and guidelines to make health insurance more affordable for their residents.
God cares for the poor; “For the oppression of the poor, for the groaning of the needy, Now I will rise again,” says the Lord; I will place him in the security he longs for.” Psalm 12:5. Where is the heart of the poor man?