Community | September 22, 2010 | 48 comments

5 major insurers stop selling new child-only health plans

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39314403/ns/health-health_care/

Image
elsonwvu
All of these companies paid their CEO millions while they refuse health care to children.


INDIANAPOLIS — Several health insurers say they will stop selling new child-only individual insurance policies as they face a health care reform provision that will prevent them from excluding children with potentially costly pre-existing conditions.

An insurance industry representative said the decision affects a relatively small population and is being made to keep costs down for all policyholders. But a Georgetown University researcher said some middle-class children could be left vulnerable by the ensuing lack of coverage options.

Several provisions of the health care overhaul went into effect Thursday, six months after it was signed into law.

One of those could help parents who have struggled to find coverage for children with expensive medical conditions. Under the provision, insurers will not be able to exclude children from coverage because of a pre-existing health condition. This means they will no longer be able to deny coverage or agree to cover the child except for services related to certain conditions.

However WellPoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., Aetna Inc., Cigna Corp. and Humana Inc. — the five largest publicly traded health insurers based on enrollment — all have said recently they will stop selling child-only individual policies, although those children can still get coverage through a family plan in the individual market.

Individual insurance is coverage that is not offered through an employer and includes both single and family coverage.




http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39314403/ns/health-health_care/
  1. groups:
    Community,   Politics,   Body
  2. tags:
    Health,  Obama,  Children,  Health Care,  16 more
  3.     
    |

48 comments // 5 major insurers stop selling new child-only health plans

  • freecrack
    • 0
      freecrack  

    • how quickly we forget after the hurricain season of 2005 home owners insurance companies did the same thing.
      not as a result of big government intrusion
      not as a result of anything other than greed.as it is now millions of us floridians are stuck with citizens (aka public option) insurance due to refusal on insurance companys part to own up to thier responsabilities.

      if only we had a public option for health insurance too like we do for home owners huh.unless some how you think tomorrow insurance companies will stop fucking every last dollar from us.

    • 1 year ago
  • Paratus
  • freecrack
    • 0
      freecrack  
    • Paratus:

      ok so if obama care (wich is a made up term for people who live in reality) is supposedl the cuase o all the kids presently being denied insurance, what was the reason it had been happening for decades prior?
      were the insurance companies fucking us cuz they are psychic and saw this coming, or maybe it is a pathological behavior indicitive of greedy bastards?

    • 1 year ago
  • BKsaysAction
    • 0
      BKsaysAction  

    • It's gotten to the point that I don't care if it's privatized or not I just want the government to hold these companies accountable. You know checks and balances. Japan has one of the best healthcare programs in the world and it's private. The government just keeps a leash on them incase they get too greedy.

    • 1 year ago
  • MyronKeith
    • 0
      MyronKeith  

    • Definitely a huge problem, but one that could be expected after the passage of a partially-effective health care bill. Despite the administration's enthusiasm on their victory, these abuses of power by the insurance companies haven't been abolished primarily because the existing structure hasn't really changed. While there are certainly improvements, things like this can only continue if Americans have no legitimate alternative to these companies.

      Unfortunately, the concessions made to the Right, insurance companies, and Big Pharma have made any significant improvement impossible for the time being...

    • 1 year ago
  • Mark701
    • +1
      Mark701  

    • "Aetna said in a statement it made the decision to stop selling to new members "to protect our current members from significant price increases," but it will continue to administer the policies it already has."

      Why is it when an insurance company does something like this they say it's for the benefit of their current members when it's to protect their profits? (rhetorical question)

      This is corporate America at their worst. The health insurance industry was deregulated ostensibly because they would be able to provide cheaper insurance to more Americans. The reality is that for profit health care cuts the number of people they say they will cover while increasing premiums well in excess of the rate of inflation. Everything is upside down. Still some people are so fearful of the government control that they will put up with shit like this, which is of course, exactly what the private sector wants.

      Still it takes a massive and continuous effort to shift people allegiance from its government whose intent is to protect American citizens to the private sector who often, if not always, end up screwing them. And who, other than another major corporate, entity could pull off this kind of brainwashing. Enter that all Americas, red, white and blue, FOX "News" a organization that is owned by an Australian whose second largest investor is a Saudi Prince (http://www.prwatch.org/node/8906) This misinformation machine is the single largest source of disinformation about the United States government that our country has ever experienced. This compromised corporation is the one that all those who speak out so vehemently about liberals and the legally elected President of the United States, listen to. Pretty strange.

    • 1 year ago
  • RaceBannon
  • ChrisJGavin
    • 0
      ChrisJGavin  

    • Some people just do not learn. So I can only assume that you guys want to DESTROY private insurance and turn EVERYTHING over to government is that correct?

    • 1 year ago
  • wayseeker
  • ChrisJGavin
  • cbsrf
    • -1
      cbsrf  
    • ChrisJGavin:

      http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-13-2009/glenn-beck-s-operation?xrs=...

      Do I hear all was well with healthcare in this country before Obama? You must live under a fucking rock. That's not to say what they have done has fixed things. You give all the corporate interest a seat at the table then your bound to be fucked at the end of it.

      Apparently your boy GB thought healthcare in this country needed a little something before he moved to fox. The lowlife fucker gives a new meaning to the term corporate shill. Anything for a Buck, Beck!

      Keep watching that idiot box. It seems to give you a very clear perspective on what is going on in our country.

      "Believing all the lies that they're telling ya, buying all them products that they selling ya, they say jump and you say how high? your braindead. you've gotta fucking bullet in your head."
      Everyone (all together now)-"just victims of the in house drive-by, they say jump you say how high?" R.A.T.M.

      Heard it was a good time to buy gold! Good luck with the fucking lobotomy. Douche!

    • 1 year ago
  • timetide
  • Gillian_Marktoo
    • 0
      Gillian_Marktoo  
    • ChrisJGavin:

      FAIL - small businesses employ more citizens of the USA in the USA than big businesses. Your cry falls on educated ears - you fail as a citizen of the US, please leave now thank you :)

      could you define big business in your eyes? Any company that files a tax return of over 100megabytes, should be automatically broken up into smaller competing companies.

    • 1 year ago
  • Gillian_Marktoo
    • +1
      Gillian_Marktoo  
    • ChrisJGavin:

      Destroy, not a bad idea - here's a thought. We could take then over fire all 5 top execs from each company. Immediately save 50% of the overhead. Then keep the actual policy managers and processors in their jobs. There only 5 jobs lost, 5,000 saved - and we saved money - isn't socialism great? OR, we could just go back to regulating them - spend millions making sure they aren't screwing their consumers and in the end....costs don't go down because now we spending more money on enforcement. Not a wise idea.

    • 1 year ago
  • freecrack
  • wayseeker
    • +6
      wayseeker  

    • No one should make a profit off of a sick child. That's why health care should be a government program like medicare is. Medicare cost less than one cent out of every dollar to operate compared to 30 cents for private insurers. A large part of that 30 cents goes toward some find mansions for executives.

    • 1 year ago
  • ChrisJGavin
    • 0
      ChrisJGavin  
    • wayseeker:

      medicare makes money off of sick kids too. And its government run. And they make just as much as the executives. Maybe more...and its OUR tax dollars!..where is your outrage on THAT?

    • 1 year ago
  • Gillian_Marktoo
  • carmelzic
  • Gillian_Marktoo
  • ChrisJGavin
    • -4
      ChrisJGavin  

    • When are you people going to figure it out? These companies were FORCED to do this by a government that you all so STUPIDLY support. Quit the bitching. It was YOUR idiotic health care reform that CAUSED them to make this decision. What part of that don't you people understand? Question is...WILL you understand. Care to open your minds yet? I knew this would happen but none of you wanted to listen.
      Yay! Universal health care! Yeah. My point is made. There was a MUCH better way to create reform but no, you IDIOTS wanted to rush it through. Now look what is happening...

    • 1 year ago
  • ChrisJGavin
  • ImConcerned
  • ChrisJGavin
  • timetide
    • 0
      timetide  
    • ChrisJGavin:

      BS, a couple of years ago my cousin develuped a benign heart murmer. Her doctor said she didn't need to get any machine work done because she didn't think it would be a major problem. Her insurance provider then said that to keep their plan she would need to pay 30K out of pocket to get a full head to toe rundown. She didn't have 30k lying around and now she has no insurance. so stop lying.

    • 1 year ago
  • ChrisJGavin
  • Admirable
  • Gillian_Marktoo
  • hardknockxpert
    • 0
      hardknockxpert  
    • ChrisJGavin:

      To timetide: Clearly if this person that ChrisJGavin is referring to was dropped due to a condition, other insurers will deem her uninsurable. Think about it. Insurance companies ask you everything from a to z when you apply for insurance. When she informed them of a heart murmur, they will drop her with a quickness. People think you can go elsewhere for insurance and just pay higher premiums. This may be true in a small percentage of cases, but if these megacompanies are no longer insuring children individually, then that process will probably never be an option again. So, unless the young lady with a heart murmur joins a very expensive state risk pool or gets a job working somewhere that offers group health benefits, she will not be insurable. I have lived though this. I have group insurance because I am uninsurable on any individual policy. I don't have a life threatening condition. I am uninsurable because of ongoing anxiety and depression.

    • 1 year ago
  • timetide
    • 0
      timetide  
    • ChrisJGavin:

      lets analyze your premise: "No one can be dropped from a health insurance plan unless there is a 60 day lapse". my cousins situation clearly illustrates that this is factually untrue. therefore, you should conceded that your premise holds no merit.

    • 1 year ago
  • timetide
  • timetide
    • 0
      timetide  
    • hardknockxpert:

      She's going to college to get a job that hopefully would be able to cover her at a low cost, but thats still 4 years she's going without any coverage. and i think you mixed me up with ChrisJGavin...

    • 1 year ago
  • Admirable
  • KSirys
    • +2
      KSirys  

    • What bullshit, these people and companies make hundred of millions a year, from healthy people... and now they don't want to take care of kids?? Why are they even allowed to continue to offer Health plans??

      The country needs to see this and stop using these companies!!

    • 1 year ago
  • ChrisJGavin
    • -5
      ChrisJGavin  
    • KSirys:

      Maybe because your stupid heath care reform that was rammed down all our throats. It was a bad idea from the start and NO ONE read the bill. Now look what is happening. I PROMISE you more like this will happen. Start patting yourself on the back, buddy. You just helped deteriorate health care in America EVEN MORE. Good job genius.

    • 1 year ago
  • KSirys
    • +1
      KSirys  
    • ChrisJGavin:

      are you an idiot? You must be... specially when you're assuming I supported the health care reform and now i'm bitching about it... you retard... stop assuming and educate yourself before coming here...

    • 1 year ago
  • ChrisJGavin
    • -2
      ChrisJGavin  
    • KSirys:

      So you did not support health care reform but are blind to the fact that because of the reform those big bad insurance companies are now in survival mode? Look at it this way, if health care did NOT pass, those kids would still be covered.

    • 1 year ago
  • KSirys
  • ChrisJGavin
  • EthicalVegan
  • Fr_Gregory
  • ChrisJGavin
  • timetide
  • Andover
  • eternal_springs
  • toyotabedzrock
    • +2
      toyotabedzrock  

    • I'd say we need to stop tippy toeing around, the current insurance industry should be regarded as domestic terrorists.

      Can they do this, seems like a possible violation of civil rights.

    • 1 year ago
  • ChrisJGavin
    • -2
      ChrisJGavin  
    • toyotabedzrock:

      Dude...youserious? do you even KNOW what you are talking about? Why don't go read that 2,000 page bill known as HEALTH CARE REFORM. You will get all the answers yyou will need. Thank your government.

    • 1 year ago
  • timetide
more from Community:
from the community

top videos