Health care viruses will cause private health insurance to die.
One of the advantages of being part of a large demographic (baby boomers) is the clout we have in the marketplace. In my opinion, the same thing that will kill Microsoft will kill private health insurance. Viruses!
Viruses?
It’s not the ability of Microsoft to make a quality product and compete that will eventually kill Microsoft. It’s the fact that they never took computer viruses seriously and it’s almost too late for them to correct it.
Companies protect themselves against computer viruses but the average person, on their home PC, can’t protect themselves and the Microsoft products have been extremely lacking in this area. If anything will promote the Google “Cloud” concept it will be computer viruses.
The same thing is true of private health care insurance. It’s not the quality of the product, when it works, it’s the deficiencies in the product to protect you from the unexpected viruses.
No doubt that many small business people want public health care because they strategically see the future outcome much better than Microsoft does computer viruses (their number one strategic problem).
For example, if you get a major illness (cancer) many companies and private insurance carriers will do their best to get rid of you (literally). I know, I was on the Insurance Board of a large company. I once had a medical doctor scoff at me (in a discussion we were having about Vioxx) and the statistical significance of deaths versus outright knowing that the product would cause heart attacks or strokes. Scoff: “Yeah, people are going to do something they know will kill you?”
Don’t assume that people won’t let you die on purpose and be glad when you’re no longer around. At age (53) my sister got breast cancer and fought it (10) years before she died. If she had not been a really savvy person she would have died much sooner like many of the cancer friends she made along the way. At one point her employer (WorldCom) was going to fire her except for her threat of suit (remember I was on a company insurance board too so that’s not a surprise). You know, any reason at all (like layoffs due to the economy) instead of the real reason. Of course, business people know that paper trails should not be left and some things are better left unsaid. Oh, just in case you don’t understand, loss history impacts the company bottom line through increased premiums.
Her health insurance provider (their “hurdles” and “delays”) probably had much to do with her getting worse and her eventual death. Over (10) years she could have written a large book on this subject but she was too sick and facing death. Fighting the company you work for, and their insurance carrier, is not something you want to consume your time when you’re dying. That dynamic alone is overwhelming!
I’ll give you just one minor example to prove my point. When she would take chemotherapy the anti nausea drug would make her feel like a bad case of the flu. A kind nurse finally told her: “This might get me fired but there is a much more expensive drug (the insurance carrier doesn’t want to pay for) that doesn’t have those side effects.” And so, my sister insisted on the more expensive drug and no longer had that experience.
If you have private coverage and encounter a serious illness (as many small business owners do) don’t be surprised if you are canceled and your premiums returned from the date of the policy [Rescission]. Your medical history will be combed and fraud will be alleged. You may be too sick, and lacking in legal funds, to fight this before your untimely death. And, of course, that’s what some are counting on. Will everyone have this experience? No. But the possibility should scare you.
Stupidity is a pre existing condition!
You bet that government bureaucratic incompetency is a big problem just like Corporate Greed.
Wake up about Private Health INSURANCE before you need it personally! Don’t listen to the ads–become informed.
I didn’t watch some documentary because, like a lot of people, we’ve lived the experience.
Family of Champions!
