On Thu, 29 Apr 2010, Doug Henwood wrote:
> The health insurance industry says it's going to give up the practice of
> dumping people when they get sick:
>
> http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=459296D4-18FE-70B2-A8AF6A0AEA3D7CF0
>
> This sounds too good to be true.
You said it all. Just to point out the obvious loophole they may or not be driving through:
The overhaul plan will ban the practice in September, except in cases
of fraud or intentional misrepresentation, and subject it to a third
party review.
Woolhandler and Himmelstein continually make the point that many states, including California, already have laws banning recission except in these cases, and that this is precisely how current recissions work: they say you misrepresented something trivial, which they only look for once you're sick, and often assert even when it isn't true, and then stall you until you die.
"Third party review" might add a new dynamic, and might not.
We'll certainly soon see. But I would say one thing in the spirit of hope. I think one good thing that might come out of this is that if recissions continue, they will be politicized. Right now it seems impossible to get the average non-wonky citizen worked up about them. But when paying premiums is something the government forces on you, a story of someone like you getting their coverage cancelled right when they need it might kindle outrage against the government.
Kind of like the draft made dying overseas an outrage.
Here's hoping.
Michael