About Health Insurance: Did You Know?

Did you know that those of our fellow citizens with pre-existing medical conditions can get health coverage if their employer provides it, but can't purchase it on their own? As the parent of three grown children, two of whom have a lifelong pre-existing condition, I have recently discovered that they cannot obtain coverage AT ANY PRICE, unless they are employed by a company that offers it. Wonderful. So why is this? Because the employer gets a nice tax deduction, in exchange for offering an insurance plan that is available to all comers. The rules are laid down by the federal government. If not for this government intervention, no one with any past or present health issues would have any insurance at all. The point is, extensive government intervention is the only thing that makes our teetering health care system work at all. An unregulated free market just won't cure what ails it.

And did you know that your private insurance policy that you love so much probably has a lifetime cap? Go ahead, look it up. How quickly will you exceed that amount if you are in a major car accident, or get cancer, or have a heart attack?

Our system needs major surgery, and soon. I would prefer universal single payer, but if not that, a robust public option that doesn't leave out those who need medical care the most is the next best thing. Join me in supporting President Obama and progressive Democrats in their efforts to reform health care against the powerful corporate interests that control our medical future.