Wanted: Good Health Care Coverage at a REASONABLE PRICE!

Hello world! Is anyone out there?

I am extremely interested in getting the FACTS on the four, soon to be five health care/insurance reform bills going through Congress. I have no full time job. I have no health care coverage. I had an extremely expensive private health care plan for a while. It excluded all but basic care. I had to choose a high deductible to afford it in the first place. It classified almost everything I had ever seen a doctor for as a pre-existing condition, thus little was actually covered. It was called a PPO but never negotiated a reasonable payment to my doctors, so I received bills from them for the remainder of the charges. And, the premiums went up almost monthly - especially if I actually used the insurance. The dental insurance didn't even cover the bi-annual checkups as advertised. I finally had to drop the coverage, hope to find generic prescriptions, hope that the tooth requiring a crown would hold up for a while longer, and hope that I didn't either become very ill or involved in an injurious accident.

There are a lot of details to work out in the health care/insurance reform bill. The AMA, AARP and pharmaceutical companies are still backing reform. The insurance companies participated in the initial discussions and expressed their backing, but have reversed that decision and are now sponsoring ad campaigns against the reforms. In my opinion, the health insurance companies (I'm not talking about auto, home, life or p&c insurance coverage) are just as greedy as those financial institutions that nearly brought our economy to a complete collapse. This is why Mr. Obama keeps repeating that health care reform is critical to the long term recovery of our economic health. This is just as important as making sure that the banks are not failing and are conducting business in a fair, realistic and profitable manner. This is equally important as re-tooling our automotive industry so that it is solvent and building fuel-efficient automobiles for the 21st century.

The health care problem affects everyone in one way or another. If you have health care coverage provided by your employer the amount you pay each month out of your paycheck will keep increasing if nothing is done. If you are lucky enough to have your coverage 100% funded by your employer, that will soon cease as prices increase - you will gradually begin to shoulder some or most of the cost of those premiums. If you lose your job you are offered the opportunity to keep your current coverage under Cobra. How many of us who have lost our jobs can afford Cobra? I paid into the plan for two months until I could no longer afford it. Health insurance coverage shouldn't be tied so closely to employment - full time employment - but it is. Good private health care coverage is extremely expensive and not accessible to those who need it; contract workers, part time employees and the unemployed.

I have been in all three situations - I have been 100% covered by my former employer; I have paid up to 50% of the monthly premium that my previous employer provided; and I have purchased a private health care plan. The first is almost obsolete now. The second becomes more expensive each time an employer evaluates the coverage they are providing, or are notified of a rate increase. The last is quite frankly not even an option unless you are independently wealthy.

I don't know when I will find a job. I don't know what type of health care benefits a new job will offer. I have "pre-existing conditions" that won't be covered. I find the latter the biggest cop out that the insurance companies use. In order to increase their already huge profits they have us pay for these premiums and either exclude certain conditions (mental health coverage) or pre-existing conditions (diabetes, cancer, allergies, previous joint or muscle injuries, thyroid conditions, head colds), or delay the treatment of these conditions for a year or longer. And God forbid they offer comprehensive wellness coverage. If they did we might be healthier or need less expensive treatment for a condition caught in the early stages, and the profit margin for the insurance provider would decrease.

So...I'm following these bills closely. I am an Independent and I want to see politics taken out of this important issue. I'm sure that sounds naive but I can be hopeful that rational minds will prevail. I see a lot of scare tactics going on, especially directed at seniors and individuals with mental and physical disabilities. I've done enough research to know that what is being said or written by those using these tactics is either distorted or blatantly false. I will continue to research the facts and what is actually written into the legislation and let my congressmen/women know how I stand on the proposed reforms - no matter their party affiliation.

I'm new to blogging and mine will be a mixture of humor and serious discussion of what is going on in this new economic environment. I've never been as scared, frustrated or unappreciated in the job market as I am today. I am extremely experienced in my field, intelligent, highly educated and a hard worker - I have not found a full time, salaried job in over two years. I'm not ugly; I'm older but not that old; I'm a little heavier than when I was 21 but who isn't; I dress very well; I don't smell bad; I shave my legs and under my arms each morning; I wash my hair and have regular salon appointments; I'm nice, honest and fair; I'm fun and funny; I'm outgoing. In short, I am what I would look for in a new employee. If I could hire myself, I would!

I know that I am one of millions in this position. I have a variety of sad, angry, funny, uplifting and realistic stories to share. This is my way to get it all out of my system so I can survive. The health care issue is so current and fresh that I had to get some of that "off my chest" in this first blog. I'll write as often as I can between temporary work and job searches. Until then I'll have on my surgical mask, my handy antibacterial wash in my purse and will be taking the side roads instead of the highways in order to avoid an accident. Don't honk if you see me waiting the recommended 3-5 seconds at the green light before proceding.

More to come and I hope you enjoy...