Because conservatives love states’ rights, right? Except when it comes to the insurance lobby.
There’s a lot wrong with this bill, but the National Women’s Law Center points to some of the main issues:
S. 1955 will:
– Eliminate state requirements for insurance coverage for breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer screenings; well-child care and immunizations; prescription contraception; emergency services; mental health care; diabetes supplies and education; and many other critical health services.
– Deny states the right to regulate the insurance industry to ensure that consumers’ needs are met.
– Put insurance companies, not health professionals, in charge of your health care.
– Raise insurance premiums, making health care unaffordable for those who need it most: women, the sick, and the elderly, whose health care costs are usually higher.
– Fail to address the problem of rising health care costs, which is what really plagues struggling employers.
As if ERISA wasn’t enough of a goddamn disaster…
This is a great topic. I am ashamed to say that I did not, until recently, realize what a wide-spread problem the lack of decent health care coverage for all was. Then I lost my health care plan for me and my younger son and boy, that woke me up fast. My employer does not offer a medical plan (small non-profit) and I make just enough money to not qualify for state plans but not enough to self-insure.
Anyhow, just happy to see this being discussed and am very interested to hear what is said as I’m trying to get up to speed on this very important issue.
I believe the federal government has the funds to address this problem, but it just doesn’t seem to be high on their priority list.
But I’m excited to see how things will turn out in Massachusetts. Admittedly, it’s a small state, but similar health care initiatives could work elsewhere.
I’m more skeptical of the Massachusetts plan. It’s great that the state will subsidize health care premiums for the poor, but what about the lower middle class? It looks like there will be a hole in which many members of the middle class will fall under that plan, kind of like the way the current system works. In order to avoid paying the fine, some middle class families might try to scrape together the money to pay for the health care premiums. However, premiums are going up 30 percent every year. In three years they’ll double. At some point, some Massachusetts middle class families might opt to pay the cheaper fine for not buying health insurance than the much more expensive premiums.
It’s incredible that Republicans want to eliminate requirements for preventive care. Treatment for cervical cancer is very effective when caught early. It’s very expensive, and very fatal, when found at a late stage (when symptoms show up). I guess insurance companies are hoping their customers will die before they have to start paying for treatment.