President Obama likes to compare his new health insurance package to that of Mr. Romney’s in Massachusetts. President Obama is a very intelligent man, possibly the sharpest president this country has had in a generation. Comparing his health insurance plan to the one in Massachusetts, President Obama wins on a couple of fronts. One, making the comparison gives his plan a centrist feel, and two, places Mr. Romney’s disastrous health plan front and center, a major problem for Mr. Romney’s campaign for the presidency. https://higginscompanies.com/health-insurance/guidelines-individual-family/
Besides the obvious similarities between the two medical insurance plans such as forcing individuals to buy health insurance, large subsidies, large tax increases, and heavy regulations, they also share absolutely no cost controls.
We’ve always heard that the uninsured are running to the emergency rooms for everything from the sniffles to a heart attack, driving costs through the roof for the rest of us. If only we could insure everyone, give them the option of a free physical or low co-pay urgent care, our costs would go down. Guess what, Massachusetts emergency room usage is the same, yet 97% of the people are now covered. The majority of these emergency room visitors simply can’t find a doctor, or must wait a very long time to get in to see one, so they are forced to go where they know they must be seen.
It has been reported that THOUSANDS of people in MA. are going uninsured until they have a claim, then dropping coverage when they are better. It is cheaper to pay the fine for being uninsured than to buy the insurance, exactly what will happen with President Obama’s health insurance plan. Gaming the system like so many do in Massachusetts has resulted in premiums being 30% higher than elsewhere in the country. Regulators in the state have refused to allow the insurance companies to raise their rates. Keep in mind the largest health insurance companies in MA. are non-profits such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Harvard Pilgrim. These non-profit companies will be forced to cut access to care even more than they do today, or go out of business, the dollar can only be stretched so far. And what does this have to do with Arizona you may ask? The largest non-profit local insurer in Arizona is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. Under President Obama’s plan many of the same regulations that MA. faces today www.azblue.com will face tomorrow.
Today most of the health insurance companies in Massachusetts have stopped enrolling small businesses, individuals, and families until the courts settle the injunctions submitted by the carriers. The governor wants the power to control prices.
If President Obama is right, that the health care system in Massachusetts is very similar to his national health insurance plan, then we have all be warned what the future holds… unless we vote!
Michael Higgins
An Arizona health insurance broker.
602.405.8769