I have full health insurance - I need access to affordable medical treatment

[mdmc]

My health insurance requires over $600.oo per month OUT OF MY POCKET for me to receive the treatment prescribed by my doctors.

Is there any help for me in the reform bill?

If there is no help for me in this bill, then what good will giving an uninsured poor person the same medical insurance that currently does not offer access to medical treatment?

[proudohioan]

1. Good question.

I have had those same thoughts myself.

[pnwmom]

2. An uninsured poor person will be on Medicaid; other low income people

will have subsidies.

Whether you would benefit depends on your income level.

[mdmc]

4. thanks for the reply

I am single and earn under 40k..

[pnwmom]

5. I don't know what the specifics of the plan are/will be.

Obama just indicated, though, that the plan will allow individuals to choose a better plan than the one they currently have, and that costs will be coming down because of the larger pool. IF that is so, then you should benefit.

You'd also benefit from the fact that the bill would prevent insurers from dropping customers as soon as they developed a costly illness -- which they can do now.

[dflprincess]

12. Then it depends on what passes

the last I heard the House bill allows subsidies for up to 4 times the poverty level which is $43,320; Senate bill is 3x or $32,394. These are the limits whether you live in New York City or Rapid City, SD.

But remember, the closer your income comes to the max, the lower the subsidy. And government programs generally have ideas about what is "affordable" that bear no relation to reality.

[dflprincess]

13. And uninsured poor person whose income is no more the 150% of the poverly level

will be eligible for Medicare. For a single person that $16,245 a year

http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/tools-for-advocates/guides/federal-poverty-guidelines.html

And any subsidy they qualify for will mainly cover premiums - just another way to transfer tax money to a private industry - there will not be a whole lot of help for copays and other out of pocket expenses.

[still_one]

3. Most of the proposals that may help people won't kick in for at least 4 years. A lot can happen

in that period of time, and it won't be all good

[pnwmom]

6. I read that the preexisting condition ban and the ban on recissions would take

effect right away. That would help millions of people.

[Dr.Phool]

7. You have money left after paying the premiums?

Quick! Jack up the rates.

[mike_c]

8. exactly so....

We're watching the growth of an optimum harvest model, with the middle and working class serving as the resource population.

[mdmc]

9. kick

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

10. There is a calculator at this website

http://healthreform.kff.org/SubsidyCalculator.aspx

that computes how you will fare under each proposed plan. They also have a site which compares provisions of each plan.

[mdmc]

11. thanks for the link!

:toast:

[marlakay]

14. I heard that one of the biggest things it does is make tests to

keep you healthy like colonoscopy, mammograms and such be paid for. I had to pay $1000 with my insurance for the last test I had. I think the new health care is going to do what Maria Cantwell wants which is to reward doctors for quality instead of quantity and encourage the insurance companies to offer programs to keep you healthy instead of waiting till you get sick.

[sohndrsmith]

15. message deleted

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