Thursday, September 23, 2010

No Kids Allowed



Nancy Pelosi famously said that the Democrats' "Obamacare" bill had to be passed so we could "see what's in it." It now turns out that it also had to be passed so we could see who's thrown out of the system by it - children.

A number of the nation's largest healthcare insurers are cutting off any new individual policies for any child whether sick or healthy.

The math isn't hard to do; Obamacare dictates that any insurance company offering individual policies for children must now accept them even if the child has just been diagnosed with a serious and expensive pre-existing condition. This being the case, there's no reason for parents to insure children until they develop an expensive problem.

And it gets worse - after the insurance company has potentially paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for treatment, the parents can drop the child's policy and not pay another premium until next time their child gets sick...at which point the insurance companies would be compelled to go through the whole money-losing cycle again.

Their answer? Stop offering new individual policies to any child. And while that may sound crass, consider their alternatives: if they really paid out according to Obamacare's rules, the insurance companies would quickly go bankrupt...leaving insurance for nobody.

Of course, this is exactly what opponents of Obamacare were warning against long before the bill was passed...but the mainstream media never mentioned it.

They were too busy helping the bill to be passed, so everyone could find out what's in it.

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17 comments:

Chuck said...

AND, it is exactly what the supporters of Obamacare wanted because it’s an easy path to a government run, single-payer system.

Pete(Detroit) said...

Ayup, that's some kinda change, rai'ht there, you can believe it!

Angry Hoosier Dad said...

Any doctor who supported this vile abomination should be the first to go bankrupt. And the politicians who voted for it should go...well, you know.

Suzy said...

Its just sickening!!! Its so unfair that they would require insurance companies to allow people to buy insurance at the last minute. That's like being on life support and signing a 5 million dollar insurance policy, or getting in a car accident and buying insurance to replace your car, or buying flood insurance after a hurricane to replace your house!!!! Its insanity!!!! Insurance CANT work that way. Impossible. The newbies will be taking the premiums that others have been paying for years and years. The new kids would be taking money from OUR kids.

The insurance companies are simply trying to save themselves, and really, their current customers. Unfortunately, the government has forced them to hurt others in the process who honestly need insurance.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

Chuck- You're right. The Dems who put together the healthcare bill weren't trying to "reform" anything...their goal was to cripple and eventually kill private insurance, leaving Americans with no alternative other than government-run programs.

Angry Hoosier Dad- Yep, we know where those politicians should go. Now we just need to find a big enough handbag...

Suzy said...

And btw I have to say this hits a nerve with me because our insurance company has done alot for us, and especially for our children, and one of them in particular...who is taking a basically experimental drug at this time and insurance has agreed to cover most of it. Once Obamacare sets in, and the insurance company can no longer afford to help me pay for this treatment for my child....then what?

John the Econ said...

I can't wait until the Democrats are done with health care, and reform the rest of the insurance industry. It will save me a bundle not having to buy auto, home and life insurance until after the accident, fire or untimely death.

Bobo said...

For the life of me I cannot understand why Congress could vote for the pig in a poke oblahmacare. Its like going into the voting booth and marking a box without knowing whose name is attached to the box. Vote to find out who or what is behind door number 1, 2 or 3. At least on Let's Make a Deal, we have a one-in-three chance of getting ZONKED! whereas, at the polls no matter whom we choose, we're all losers.

I feel for young parents trying to raise a family. We need to rid Washington of the rats, skunks, vermin and cockroach politicians who populate the halls of government and get back to what America was when we all were much younger. No more career politicians!!!

I pray Americans are paying attention and realize the Titanic is taking on water and we have only one chance to patch the hole before we all become shark excrement.

Vote in November!

moronpolitics said...

What's the matter with obamacare? Just because you don't have to get insurance until you get sick and then there is no lifetime limit and they can't drop you even for non-payment of premiums until you get well again? Sounds GREAT.
Next bill is the Obama Lottery Reform. Everybody must buy a ticket each week. If you cannot afford the dollar the goverment will send you a free one. The best part is everyone wins at least once a month!

Oh, have you heard about "Super Model Reform"? See, everybody gets a Super Model to boink or the functional equivalent according to your gender/orientation. If you are unable to boink the government will send someone to do it on your behalf. Just put your boinker in an envelope and mail it to "The Nonspecific Color House, Washington, DC".....

pryorguy said...

Hopefully, many newly-elected congressman (after this November), will be able to put the squeeze on funding this kinda nonsense, and maybe get it all thrown out, but I know thats a long shot.
This whole travesty known as the Obama administration will go down in history as just that...a travesty.

Bobo said...

moronpolitics - The Super Model Reform sounds great, but I'd be afraid the gubment would screw it all up (pun intended) and send some ex-convict goon to my house to boink me. The name is Bobo, and it don't mean Bend Over Buddy Orifice.

Angry Hoosier Dad said...

Hey, pryorguy...
Don't be so sure about Obama's place in history. Have you seen the crap they're putting in history books these days...or the actual history they're leaving out?

Sparky said...

That's very tragic! But you know, I'm old enough to remember what it was like before most people had health insurance [we only had catastrophic coverage]. It wasn't so bad. Doctors visits were a LOT cheaper and doctors offices weren't full of patients with minor illnesses [colds, etc.]. Maybe we should ALL cancel our insurance and let the insurance companies go bellyup. Money talks ...

pryorguy said...

Yeah, Dad...youre right...hadnt thought of that!

Emmentaler Limburger said...

Doctor's visits aren't expensive because of insurance. They're expensive because of lawyers. Want to reform healthcare? Start with tort law. But, in your way are all those lawyers in Washington who would have to vote for it. Unfortunately, the fox is watching the henhouse, and has been for many a decade...

Anonymous said...

The new rules make it impossible for any insurance company to stay in business. Either the people that made them up are complete morons or they intend to do away with private insurance. Either way you can't say people can wait until they are sick and then get insurance and there is NO LIMIT to what their payments can be. Any insurance company that tries it will go bankrupt. Don't be surprised when they take their couple of trillion dollars and go home. Insurance companies have always had about twice the capital of the banking system. Believe it or not if you are a "small" insurance company with "only" 75 Billion dollars you can do something else with the money. Like buy France.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

Readers- Great comments above! As Emmentaler mentioned, tort reform could make a huge impact in bringing down healthcare costs without costing taxpayers a dime. So why isn't it in Obamacare? Because the lawyers who make fortunes suing medical practitioners essentially own the Democrat party through campaign donations.

And Anonymous (immediately above) is right that the healthcare bill is designed to destroy private insurance. Today, the mainstream news media was happily trumpeting all of the "great stuff" kicking in for people who belong to the (very few) government plans: no limit on how much you collect, no exclusion for pre-existing conditions, free preventive care (including colonoscopies! Oh boy!). BUT...those goodies aren't available if you stick with your existing plan. You know, the plan that was intended to remain solvent so it would still exist when you needed it. But people will want the unsustainable goodies, switch plans, and the private insurers will die one by one. At which point, the government will own every individual, body and soul.

And that's always been their goal.