Preexisting Zip Codes
Remember how Obamacare stated that “no insurance plan can reject you, charge you more, or refuse to pay for essential health benefits for any condition you had before your coverage started.” Well, right or wrong, that has helped make the cost of insurance skyrocket. But it’s fair, right? Maybe. I mean one could debate whether they should pay for the inhalers of a smoker who still won’t quit. But let’s not argue that today. I want to bring up another shell game trick that Obamacare has created. I just found this:
Two studies released Tuesday show wide geographic variation in Obamacare price increases seen this year, and in those proposed for next year. Although there are plenty of double-digit prices being proposed, that isn’t the case everywhere.
The studies underscore that the amount people pay for their Obamacare plans is often strongly related to where they live. They also show how much lower the price increases can be for a customer who switches plans within the same Obamacare “tier.”
So, let me get this straight, people were screaming about how unfair it was charge more to patients with preexisting conditions but it is okay to charge more if you live in the wrong zip code? You may claim that this is just gouging the rich (which is bogus and discriminative as well) but that isn’t true either. The study noted that the range of increases spanned from a high of 41.8 percent in Oklahoma, to as low as a 12.1 percent decrease in Indiana.
Why is no one protesting this? Why is no one bringing up the hypocrisy of not being allowed to use preexisting conditions as reasons to increase insurance rates but using preexisting zip codes are fine? The reason is because the media are biased and/or idiots. That is why you need to keep stopping by here at Authentic Medicine.
We’ll always set you straight even though we are biased and sometimes idiots as well. At least we admit it.
Why do so many who are unwilling to trust the market nonetheless run into the arms of government to arbitrate each little and small decision and arbitration?
The underlying prices reflect both the patient mix in a given risk pool (product mix) and more importantly the underlying cost of care delivered which we have known for decades varies wildly by geography. http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/
And the difference for charging more for pre-existing conditions is………
Strangely, by trying to avoid discriminating against the ill they are now discriminating against the healthy. Due to these changes and the skyrocketing costs, I have seen many patients literally priced out of having coverage and able to access care at all.
Hey, but look at the bright side. By neglecting their care, they will likely become sick and then not be discriminated against when they try to get their insurance…….