Healthcare Changes...
Athough I usually don't write about work, I have to report that we got an email from our HR department today letting us know that we are switching health insurance companies beginning in the new year. Turns out our existing insurance company had a rate increase of nearly 30% for the coming year (with "cost-saving campaigns" like this, I'm not surprised...) so my company did research and chose a new provider. (One with RBCBS as its initials and "Blue" as its signature color....)
The good news is that my neurologist, my internist and my psychiatrist are all "preferred providers" with the new insurance company. Additionally, it appears that Regence will also cover my Copaxone and most of the other medications I'm on. The bad news is that, at a glance, it appears that our out-of-pocket costs for office visits and drugs are going to go up. It also appears likely that alternative care is going to be signficantly cut.
Obviously, we've not gotten much actual information yet so this may be blind speculation on my part. The company itself is not terrible, honestly. I had them when I was in Boston and then again when I came back from Boston and had to get on the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool. (They would have been better in the latter case if I'd picked a plan with a lower deductible.)
Still, to say that I am unhappy about this is an understatement of grand proportions.
Firstly, I just hate the hassle factor. Having to switch around the insurance with all my doctors offices, get new prescriptions written from all my doctors to send into a new mail-order pharmacy. Not to mention the collossal hassle that getting my Copaxone is likely to be, what with the new prescription insurance, new mail order pharmacy and new "specialty" mail order pharmacy.
Gahhhhhhh! It will probably turn out just fine and I'll adjust. I just don't particularly want to.
This leads me to my chosen NaBloPoMo topic for this month of daily blogging: Healthcare in America. I'm not going to start on this tonight, necessarily: I need to do a lot more reading and research before I can write with any kind of authority or knowledge about the subject. However, here are some of the areas I'm hoping to learn more about:
1) The state of healthcare in the US, with (perhaps) a look at the history of healthcare and insurance in America. May include some info about recent developments like stem-cell research and President DumbAss Bush's veto on children's healthcare.
2) A look at healthcare in other industrialized nations, including the UK, France, Germany, Australia and Canada. (Did you know the U.S is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide healthcare to all its citizens?)
3) The presidential candidates: their POV on healthcare, their proposals and my opinions about which might be the best (and worst)
4) Roadblocks: what's stopping the US (aside from our sitting president) from moving towards a better system?
So that's what I've got so far. I'm sure my list of ideas and topics to explore will broaden as I get deeper into my "research" but I think this is a good starting place. I would also love to have this turn into any interesting discussion. I encourage you all to participate over the next month or so.
Today's assignment:
a) leave a comment and let me know what you're most interested in learning about on the topic of healthcare in America. I'm sure I've missed a broad swath of topics and while I doubt I can research and write about everything this month, I will do my best to cover as much as I can as well as I can. (Aside to those of you who read this blog regularly but don't comment often: now is the time to delurk! Please, leave a comment, say hello and let me know what you'd like to learn more about!)
Comments
I'm most interested in a comparison of national health care systesm & the US system . . . cause as much as a "hassle" as the US system seems to be, my experience with the NHS has sucked & I haven't run into anyone who really actually likes it, unless of course they have private insurance as well (which would be like the US system)
People always say "oh it's free" and I try nicely to point out NOTHING is free, it's just not a seperate bill I pay, it's collected in that oh so lovely tax that is taken out of my paycheck every month.
My experience here is if you're sick & call a docs office you can see them in 3 weeks (min time), but if I've got strep throat in 3 weeks I'll either have amaszingly gotten better or be REALLY REALLY sick without treatment. A guy in my office had to wait 1.5 years for a knee replacement (while I had my knee reconstructed within a month of the injury)
I'd also be super interested in what you can find about stem-cell research, I'm guessing there is no need for me to explain why :)
TGIF, have a good weekend, xx
Posted by: Sara | November 2, 2007 04:24 AM
i'd really like to hear what the presidential candidates' health care positions and plans are, and your educated opinion on which of the candidates' plans are the best (after you do all that leg work into what makes a good health care system and what is causing the problems here in the US - because even if i knew what the candidates' positions were, i don't have the background of knowledge to put it into context).
and oh yeah, i need this info before february so i can vote in the primary. that'd be great. thanks!
Posted by: jen | November 2, 2007 05:00 AM
I'd like to hear a discussion of how, why and when our healthcare system went from not-for-profit to for-profit. I've heard it began with the founding of Kaiser-Permanente? And how much profit DO they make?
XO,
ACJ
Posted by: Aunt CJ | November 2, 2007 07:52 AM
My company did the same thing a year ago. It's been kinda yucky for us. Mainly because the new provider didn't have my naturopath on it's plan and though she is now on it , the company doesn't pay her as much as the old one. In addition my therapist doesn't get paid as much either, though she was on their list. So I've had to pay more for that whereas my naturpath is kindly eating the costs. Hopefully your new provider won't suck!
Also speaking of healthcare & da prez check out this... http://www.10questions.com/
Folks can post video questions to the presidential canidates and 10 will be answered. I think your questions of healthcare would be most relevant! Kisses!
~F
Posted by: FranSky | November 2, 2007 08:51 AM
My hubby has worked at the same place for almost 20 years now. Every year our premiums go up and we have less coverage, more out of pocket expenses...it's insane. My favorite neuro stopped excepting all insurance except medicare, because it was costing him to much in time and money to get them to actually pay him. He lowered his fees and has you file yourself. EEEK! I couldn't handle the extra paperwork and out of pocket expense so I had to change docs.
The other dark side to the ever increasing premiums and decreasing coverage is that we aren't free to move and change employers. We would have to have a job with insurance in place that would cover us quickly and continue the existing coverage. This is a BIG pre-existing and expensive illness. They don't want to take you on unless they have to, and we can't afford to lose coverage, no matter how skimpy it becomes.
The system definitely needs work, but I'm afraid that it will be a long time coming.
Posted by: Cathleen Larson | November 2, 2007 09:51 AM
That's a fairly extensive list you already have going! Not much else I can add to the list or to the comments already provided. I WILL say I DO enjoy your "delurker" clause, however! LOL
Linda D. in Seattle
Posted by: Linda D. | November 2, 2007 07:42 PM