Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Estimates of 50 Million up to 129 Million Have Pre-Existing Conditions ( Wapo) About Soon to be released DHHS Study...


(Photo : RAM Free Health Clinic in LA 2008 : This photo symbolizes the Thousands that have had to line up for access to any Free Needed Health Care.... )
So late Monday Night it came across the wires that up to 129 Million People have Health Conditions that can be considered Pre-Existing Conditions by Insurance Companies. DHHS is to release this Study this week...... The Washington Post snuck it out while we were sleeping, like leaving a Toad on my pillow. Waking it and finding it and yelling out, "Ouch". This number as shocking as it is also shows Why Health Care Reform, even in it's most basic form, must begin now as these Numbers Unfold.
From the Article::
((( Or WHO you may ask qualifys as a Pre-Existing Condition? )))
" The study found that one-fifth to one-half of non-elderly people in the United States have ailments that trigger rejection or higher prices in the individual insurance market. They range from cancer to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, asthma and high blood pressure."

And here's More to Consider:::

"The study found that one-fifth to one-half of non-elderly people in the United States have ailments that trigger rejection or higher prices in the individual insurance market. They range from cancer to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, asthma and high blood pressure.

The smaller estimate, by Health and Human Services Department researchers, is based on the number of Americans whose medical problems would make them eligible for states' high-risk pools - special coverage for people denied insurance because of their medical history. The researchers arrived at the larger figure by adding in other ailments that major insurers consider a basis to charge customers higher prices or to exclude coverage for some of the care they need."


***The Important sentence to note, DHHS arrived at that figure when adding in data from Insurance Companies, Major Insurers.****

Other Toads from the HCR Battle that are already Known Facts.....

According to Harvard Studies in 2007/2008 More than 45,000 die per year with NO Health Insurance and No Health Care. (Please do share the Sept 2009 Harvard Study)

It was estimated that at least 51 Million have No Health Insurance and No Health Care and that Wretched Number was estimated before The Huge Economic Collapse and millions more lost jobs and homes ...and Insurance.

More than 42% of ALL Bankruptcies of People Losing Homes are directly related to Medical Debt. (Studies say 42-62% depending on which study is used).People literally losing it all for their Health. And once they are have suffered Financial Damage, they then go on to be considered a Credit Risk, so then they can not qualify for Health Insurance either.

The bottom line is that all along, all during the Health Care Battle of the past two years there were so many of us saying that alot more People than the Estimated 30 Million proposed during the Health Care Reform era have Pre-Existing Conditions. Millions have been denied Care and Insurance and Cancelled.

Now as the HCR goes into effect it is being implemented State by State to provide changes to Care Provision. Yet each State is handling certain issues differently. Each state is setting up the High Risk Pools. Yet in many states High Risk Pools are determined by Insurance Companies setting the new parameters and the Costs and the Plans of Care. So once again they are controlling the Access of Care , for the very people they already denied,cancelled or over Charged.

And as interesting as this Study is supposed to be, WHY would Sebelius wait until the last Final Hours before the Republican Vote to repeal HCR ??? I am left with more questions than answers.... ( as of 1PM it is still not Publicly Available.)
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((Enigma Footnote:::: Personal little story regarding Being Cancelled. I was cancelled in early 2006, I was cancelled after a Doctor ordered BRCA blood work due to Family History : Breast Cancer. I was cancelled because I supposedly did not properly disclose all family History to said company, even though I am pretty sure I did. So low and behold in August I called the State to inquire as to the High Risk Pool. And within Days the High Risk Provider called me back. Ironically the Company that has the Contract is the same Company that Cancelled me. I was paying 440/month in 2006 ( which yes is VERY high for a single mom....) And they "offered" me Insurance this past August " $1150 /month, not including deductibles and Capped Care.....blah blah blah...."At come point during that Conversation I hung up the phone before I heaved it....Everyone who comes to this Blog knows for over 2 years I blogged we have a Health Care Crisis in this Country. $1150 is too much, it is more than Rent and Heat Combined...It is Highway Robbery....And if you like you are welcome to read about my Life as a UnInsured Nurse No Healthcare and No Insurance and M.S,......just my story, one of Millions.))

11 comments:

MandT said...

Dear friend, as long as the Obama administration considers nearly 200,000 deaths an acceptable quota until 2014...there is no 'real' reform.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Oh my God, this is absolutely HORRIBLE. Maybe you can qualify to come to Canada as a refugee whose life is threatened by living in the USA! The costs of medical insurance are ridiculous. What about all the people living on minimum wage? There is no way a single mom can pay those rates. In Canada, since I am a low income senior on disability, my medical insurance costs TWELVE DOLLARS A MONTH because it is based on my income, and verified through my annual income tax return. Obama tried hard. But bipartisan politics means nothing can get pushed through, one hand offers, the other pushes it away. Argh. Incredibly frustrating.

enigma4ever said...

Mandt....
yes we know this is not good enough,.....not near what it should be....too many lives at risk...

Sherry....
there you go we need to set up a Health Care Refugee Program....its amazing that the Entire Country of Canada has Health Insurance....more than 58 Million with care, good care.....and we have more than that with NO care at all....Numbers don't lie.....and wow...12 dollars a month...wow...stunning..and it shows there is a Way to do it...

Carolyn Moon said...

The most disturbing,yet, hopeful consequences of the Free Health Care Clinics are the number of people who were sent to the ER with catastrophic illnesses for treatment. Walking time bombs for strokes and heart attacks. Some were diagnosed with late stage tumors as a result of their examinations at these clinics. There are a lot of people around this country, working, temping, volunteering and existing who are seriously ill!

As MandT indicated there's no substantial health reform care with that number of acceptable deaths.
To try and influence a large section of the American people to believe otherwise or to be grateful for what little was achieved is outrageous. The fight will begin now for the repeal of the current (few crumbs) bill by the republicans and conservative democrats.

To Allie...as you know, there is an ever growing number of folks who have lost their jobs and insurance coverage who had histories of serious illnesses and their only option now is "wellness plans" with most insurance companies.
A wellness plan covers(minimally) an annual physical and no assistance with meds. or treatments for chronic illnesses or the residual symptoms of previous serious maladies. I, too have joined that group and still have a 200.00 monthly premium. As with most of us in this boat, I can't afford the quotes I was given to have adequate coverage.

I used to live about 65 miles from the Canadian border and some of my relatives were at one time crossing the border to get their medications. Senior citizen centers and non-profits were providing transportation. They are deceased now and I wonder if that option is still available? Hmmm.....

enigma4ever said...

More Stats:::
TUESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 50 million Americans have gone without health insurance for at least part of the past year -- up from 46 million people in 2008, federal health officials reported Tuesday.

Those people included not only those Americans living in poverty, but an increasing number of middle-income people, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The bottom line is that uninsurance of young and middle-class adults increased by 4 million people from 2008 to the first quarter of 2010," CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said during a news conference Tuesday.

What's more, the number of people without insurance for a year or more increased from 27.5 million in 2008 to 30.4 million in the first quarter of 2010, Frieden said. "That's an increase of 3 million of chronically uninsured adults."

enigma4ever said...

Carolyn...
I hear you...sorry to say....I have to agree with all that you said...we all have to do what we can to take care of ourselves..and yes if I lived near canada...I would be hoppin over...sigh...

I don't know what to say...or do...but to keep tracking the damage.....fighting back....

I wish we were further along with this battle...time is running out for so many of us....we are no getting younger....healthier...

sigh

Mark Prime said...

Let us hope that, at the least, these "non-elderly" have a pre-existing heart, unlike the insurers who deny coverage for anything and everything.

enigma4ever said...

Mark ...
wisely said ...sad that it has come to this....Watching CSPAN today it occurred to me we need Evil Bastard Awards....

jr said...

>> "WHY would Sebelius wait until the last Final Hours before the Republican Vote to repeal HCR?"

Sebelius, Obama, I don't have any confidence in them. David Swanson recently said that Obama is a front for what is effectively a Bush era regime, but with a pretty face to lull us into complacency. Had McCain been elected, at least the protesters would have been energized to take action. But now we feel we have a champion of our cause in Obama. What o load of crap that is!

In this regard Obama is actually worse than a Republican regime.

Think about it. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. We need for the right to wake America the F**k up.

enigma4ever said...

jon....
I have nothing to say ...
I don't like Sebelius...at all..and Obama ..I just don't know what to think...I have been beyond dissappointed about this HC battle...on too many fronts to count....and sadly I know that things will get worse on the healthcare front before they get better...

we got NO public plan and for millions that means more years of suffering ...waiting...and more dying...it was a critical element....

enigma4ever said...

jon....
I have nothing to say ...
I don't like Sebelius...at all..and Obama ..I just don't know what to think...I have been beyond dissappointed about this HC battle...on too many fronts to count....and sadly I know that things will get worse on the healthcare front before they get better...

we got NO public plan and for millions that means more years of suffering ...waiting...and more dying...it was a critical element....