Comments on: Building On A Bloated Carcass http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2009/01/27/building-on-a-bloated-carcass/ Affecting NC public policy through informed, energetic and progressive conversations. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:14:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: AdamL http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2009/01/27/building-on-a-bloated-carcass/#comment-30412 AdamL Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:19:00 +0000 http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/?p=2997#comment-30412 Kimberly -- I'm assuming that you mean the piece that requires everyone to buy health insurance. That would come pretty late in the game once we have a host of affordable options available. Right now affordable plans do not exist for most families. Before we could even consider penalizing people for refusing insurance we need to allow parents to buy into public programs with sliding scale premiums, we need to help small businesses extend insurance to employees, we need a subsidized insurance exchange, and we need to prohibit insurance companies from charging outrageous premiums because of preexisting conditions. Then we could talk about requiring people to purchase insurance. Kimberly — I’m assuming that you mean the piece that requires everyone to buy health insurance. That would come pretty late in the game once we have a host of affordable options available. Right now affordable plans do not exist for most families.

Before we could even consider penalizing people for refusing insurance we need to allow parents to buy into public programs with sliding scale premiums, we need to help small businesses extend insurance to employees, we need a subsidized insurance exchange, and we need to prohibit insurance companies from charging outrageous premiums because of preexisting conditions.

Then we could talk about requiring people to purchase insurance.

]]> By: IBXer http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2009/01/27/building-on-a-bloated-carcass/#comment-30411 IBXer Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:45:05 +0000 http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/?p=2997#comment-30411 Sounds like a Verykouki idea to me. Sounds like a Verykouki idea to me.

]]> By: Kimberly http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2009/01/27/building-on-a-bloated-carcass/#comment-30405 Kimberly Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:48:05 +0000 http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/?p=2997#comment-30405 I believe that universal health care is needed and it is the right time for it. I agree with the Coalition's plan but the language concerns me a bit. Who decides that "affordable health insurance" has been offered to a family and turned down by a family? There are situations, like mine, where we have to maintain income below Medicaid caps to allow our children with severe special health care needs to qualify which in turn doesn't leave us with the extra cash to pay for private health insurance for my husband and I. Private health insurance for our family right now will run 8k per month, 2,500 per month just for my husband and I. Even High Risk Insurance Pool is too expensive for us to afford. The only solution to families with complicated situations, such as ours, is universal health care based on income with sliding scale fees that are truly affordable. I believe that universal health care is needed and it is the right time for it. I agree with the Coalition’s plan but the language concerns me a bit. Who decides that “affordable health insurance” has been offered to a family and turned down by a family? There are situations, like mine, where we have to maintain income below Medicaid caps to allow our children with severe special health care needs to qualify which in turn doesn’t leave us with the extra cash to pay for private health insurance for my husband and I. Private health insurance for our family right now will run 8k per month, 2,500 per month just for my husband and I. Even High Risk Insurance Pool is too expensive for us to afford. The only solution to families with complicated situations, such as ours, is universal health care based on income with sliding scale fees that are truly affordable.

]]> By: Rob Schofield http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2009/01/27/building-on-a-bloated-carcass/#comment-30402 Rob Schofield Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:49:19 +0000 http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/?p=2997#comment-30402 I think Gawande and the N.C. Health Access Coalition are probably on the same wave length. The Coalition's "Guaranteed Affordable Choice" plan features six pragmatic steps toward getting more people on the boat. Check it out here: http://www.ncjustice.org/assets/library/1226_nchachltplansum.pdf I think Gawande and the N.C. Health Access Coalition are probably on the same wave length. The Coalition’s “Guaranteed Affordable Choice” plan features six pragmatic steps toward getting more people on the boat. Check it out here:
http://www.ncjustice.org/assets/library/1226_nchachltplansum.pdf

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