<p>CF, since you have never been in the individual market, you obviously don’t understand it. Once you have an individual policy, the insurance companies can’t discriminate or treat a sick person any differently from a healthy person, meaning sick people have the same right to transfer to another policy without underwriting if the deductible is not lower. If you get sick while you’re insured, that person cannot have his premium raised (unless the premium is raised for the entire group) and they can’t be kicked out. Assuming this person got cancer 10 years ago but like me bought their first policy 25 years ago, I don’t see why he would be paying a rate any different than I was paying last year. </p>
<p>The only time I was underwritten was when I changed insurance companies about 10 years ago. It was strictly voluntary and, like I said previously, I wish I hadn’t done it because in retrospect the plan I turned down was actually a better plan. I listened to an insurance agent; instead of trusting my own instincts. </p>
<p>I am not sure I want to debate this if you are going to cite falsehoods to defend an ideological position regarding your justification for Obamacare.</p>
<p>“but I can assure you Obamacare was not designed as an attack on private physicians.”</p>
<p>It may not be directly intended but it is surely an unintended consequence. I have spoken to a number of physicians with independent practices, and they feel the attack on their reimbursement rates and the additional expense to comply with the record keeping the law imposes on them is making it more difficult to remain independent. </p>
<p>The article claims that a doctor working as an employee for a hospital rather than operating his own business will undoubtedly be less productive and will probably work fewer hours. Having been a business owner and an employee, I am sure this is true.</p>
<p>^ I hope that is true! My doctor friends have too many patients in their caseload and work far too many hours. Their wives and kids will be happy campers if you are right about that. </p>
<p>I feel like half the time I spend on this thread is correcting false or incorrect information. It’s hard to debate people who don’t have a high regard for the truth.</p>
<p>Much of the record keeping I hear docs complaining about involves the electronic medical record. Medical practice was moving in that direction anyway, regardless of the ACA. Using the EHR is just plain safer for patients. A lot of physicians (and I have to say it: especially a lot of older practitioners) don’t like to have to use a computer-based medical record. There are disadvantages to it, but on the whole it’s way safer. </p>
<p>I’ve heard that older doctors object to electronic medical records, which, come on, get over it, time to move into the 21st century, dudes. When your car dealership has better records than your doctor does, something is wrong.</p>
<p>I’ve also heard that the software that implements electronic medical records often has a terrible user interface.</p>
<p>That depends on the state. Such things are regulated at the state level.</p>
<p>In California, there are two different state agencies that regulate insurance. Insurance companies have been known to play one of them off the other. I would be interested in knowing the state regulations that prohibit what you say is prohibited, GP. In particular, an insurance company is a business and can offer products to customers. How do you know that the product that was offered to you would have been offered to cancerous GoldenDouble?</p>
<p>Nope, nope, that’s not the way it works. You made the assertion, you prove it. If there is a law or regulation, you can produce it. And while you’re at it, you can produce some people who were in the individual market, had insurance, and were able to end up with policies about as good as yours after they had some serious health condition. Funny how it’s easy to find someone who had cancer and afterwards couldn’t get decent insurance (one of my riding buddies is in just that situation) but not so easy to produce someone who had cancer and kept their great private insurance for the next decade.</p>
<p>In my community the monopolistic hospital is trying to purchase the largest outpatient facility in town. They attempted to acquire them a few years ago. I wrote to the Ca Dept of justice to request that they block the acquisition, which may or may not have influenced the outcome. The hospital is, however, relentless and they are now proposing a merger which will give the outpatient facility some degree of independence. I don’t believe any of it and I written the DOJ again asking for the department to review the transaction under their antitrust guidelines.</p>
<p>CF, in all honesty, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please take a few minutes to learn how the individual market worked pre-Obamacare. Saying stuff that isn’t true is not helping your case. </p>
<p>GP, you made a simple assertion. You said that if a patient was in a plan with an insurance company, he could switch to a different plan with the same insurer at his option, without underwriting, provided the deductible was higher, and that any switcher, no matter his health status, would get the same premium (adjusted for age, of course). You claimed this was true for the entire US, but I’ll settle for evidence for California. I’m willing to learn, but since you made the assertion, you get to teach. Evidence or cites, please. </p>
<p>I never said the entire US. I don’t know what goes on in other states. You asked me if this other guy (I presumed you meant Ca) could be paying the same rate as me. I answered. </p>
<p>"Can I change from one individual plan contract to another one without underwriting?</p>
<p>People covered by an individual plan for at least 18 months have the right to transfer to a different plan contract with the same company.</p>
<pre><code>You have the right to transfer to any other individual plan contract offered by the same company with equal or lesser benefits. For example, you may be able to transfer from a plan contract with a $250 deductible to a plan contract with a $500 deductible and a lower premium, if the plan offers such a contract.
You have the right to transfer without the plan looking at your medical history or doing medical underwriting.
You have the right to transfer at least once per year.
The plan should send you a notice about your right to transfer whenever your plan changes its premium. This notice must tell you how you can get information from the plan about contracts available to you. This notice must also tell you that you may not be able to return to your current contract after a transfer."
</code></pre>
<p>Secondly, where is the part about what premium you are guaranteed? It’s notably absent. “This notice must tell you how you can get information from the plan about contracts available to you.” No mention of the premiums you would have to pay, and indeed “contracts available to you” suggests that different “yous” have different contracts. </p>
<p>The person has the right to transfer to a different contract, but you haven’t shown me any right to transfer to a different contract with a specified premium. You haven’t shown me the part where you and Cancer Boy would pay the same premium.</p>