Denise Grady of the New York Times reported the case of a Colorado woman denied health insurance coverage because she had a Caesarian birth. Options for the woman were to obtain Colorado state health insurance at 140% the price for a premium or BC/BS at a premium of 25% additional cost for a period of 5 years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/health/01insure.
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My take on this article is a confirmation of the trend...government does not want to be in the health insurance business. Through offers that are even 139% over the cost of the state program, BC/BS and the state can steer people into BC/BS. This is also confirmed by the number of enrollees in the state program as 7200 according to the same article. That's right, 7200. It is important for individuals arguing for expansion of governmental options for changing our health insurance environment to establish premium rates that are reasonable...140% of premium is not reasonable.
It's the old let us make you an offer you can't accept unless you are desperate. It is a testament to the overall wellness of Americans that most people just go along without too much objection with the changes in the health insurance environment but, as the unlimited greed and profit motive of health insurers and the clear indicators that governments do not want to be in the health insurance business combine, the costs of insurance imposed on consumers who need any type of medical care will impact more and more Americans, in this case a healthy 30 year old woman who had a C-section.
