I am certainly not an expert on how to reform healthcare, but just a woman who was denied health insurance from the same company, that I am insured through at work. It was hardly free, as I went for the $5K ded plan at $240 a mo. as I am very healthy, no scrips in years, low cholestrol, norm BP...but the last mamo showed a couple of lumps which were biopsied and declared benign. Nothing to worry about so said my Dr, probably just showed up because I tend to drink lots of coffee. However, the insurance co. claimed I was a high risk, but then I have heard that you can be denied insurance for something as minor as allergies...so go figure. Anyhow, like most people with good health insurance through work, I never gave it much thought until I realized how much power the insurance industry has over deciding who they will insure. Some of the stories of people who have been denied are just heartbreaking...too many to list here. True many choose not to buy insurance when they can afford to do so, but this is why it needs to be mandatory...cradle to grave to make sure that the healthy as well as sick are all contributing....because, we all eventually get old and sick. I do believe that the gov't is capable of providing a comprehensive and yet more financially sound plan if we don't have private insurers in the mix...but, it needs to be nationwide, not done on a state by state basis as in Ma. My mother who passed away after living with me for 7 yrs, had Medicare/ Tricare (military ins.), and though she was in & out of hospitals, drs. appts...she was able to see any Dr and go to any hospital...quite unlike my present plan. I don't recall her insurance denying anything that her Drs. recommended. I would be more than happy to have insurance like hers, but guess I will have to settle with whatever our Congress comes up with, which most likely will be some sort of mix of private and public insurance for un-insurables like me. But that is fine, so long as it is available and reasonably priced.
