As President Obama addresses Congress about his health care goals, many Americans still have questions about what it will mean to them. What if I already have decent coverage through my job? What if I can't get insurance now? What will happen to my Medicare? And how much will this cost us?

The Washington Post does a great job giving succinct answers to these and other questions about health reform. Check out the report here, as well as some helpful graphics.

And make sure you read the Post's great story about the insurance industry's outrageous practice known as "rescission" -- a term for canceling coverage on grounds that the insurance company was misled. Several patients tell their stories of submitting a claim, only to be told they no longer have coverage because they failed to list a pre-existing condition on a routine application. Often times, the pre-existing condition isn't related at all to the new medical problem.

As the Post reports:

In a pending case, Blue Shield searched in vain for an inconsistency in the health records of the wife of a dairy farmer after she filed a claim for emergency gallbladder surgery, according to attorneys for the family. Turning to her husband's questionnaire, the company discovered he had not mentioned his high cholesterol and dropped them both. Blue Shield officials said they would not comment on a pending case.

Rescission is a great way for insurance companies to make more profit -- insurance industry officials admitted in Congressional hearings they had saved $300 million by canceling about 20,000 policies over five years.

All the health reform proposals before Congress would effectively ban rescission by prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating against patients for pre-existing conditions. Recession is just another of the many reasons why health reform is so desperately needed to level the playing field between consumers and the giant insurance companies.

comments (15)

Comments

1 Posted by Ken at 09/15/09 02:17 AM

Great point and do not forget that most policies are sold through local Agents who receive a commission from SOLD policies and many may not fully ask or explain the questions on the application so therefore it is extremely important for you the client to ask for the opportunity to read for yourself each and every question and review your answers to those questions to eliminate the errors and do not totally depend on any Agent because even though most Agents are honest there are those who will speed through the questions in an effort to get this policy completed quickly.
I as an Agent give my clients a copy of the health questions to take home the day or days before so that they can go through it privately and take the time to think over each question and if they do have a question then we together on the speakerphone call the Underwriter to get clarification.
This is too critical to be done hastily or without careful and complete understanding of the consequences.
By the way any reform passed without a Public Option is without any doubt going to result in higher rates and more uninsured people than we have ever seen in recent history and this issue has proven to me that special interest dollars rule the majority of our elected officials and they cannot be trusted to tell the truth period.
Scare tactics instead of facts,TV ads instead of debates have destroyed a opportunity to make the biggest improvement in the lives of Americans but instead greed has ruled.
Healthcare is rationed now when prior approval is required as most plans now include.
Illegal Immigrants are currently be treated at local emergency rooms across the country at a cost to those of us who pay for insurance so why is it such an issue in all the ads the opponents run?
What would opponents do,leave them dying on the street?
In a Country as great as America what has happened to us?Greed,Complacency and a its all about me attitude and the giving away of American Jobs to China etc... has finally caught up with us and our Politicans could care less.

2 Posted by James Vanus at 09/23/09 12:58 PM

I have some specific questions for which I'd like a specific answer from health care reform legislators:
- What are the exact problems addressed by the legislation and exactly how does it propose to remedy them?
- Does the proposed health care legislation include accountability measures for the legislation itself?
- How does the legislation measure success and failure of its results?
- If the legislation or certain aspects of it proves to be a failure, what does the legislation specify as remedies?

3 Posted by Jan Stevens at 10/13/09 12:07 PM

Keep the government out of my health care. AS a sole proprietor I puchase my own healthcare for my son and me. It travels with me no matter what job I have. I agree that costs need to be reduced. Let all health insurance companies compete across state lines. Pass legislation for preexisting conditions and the other issues. But again, the government or "public" solution is not the answer. It will quickly become the problem.

I am cancelling my consumer reports subscription now that I know that they are supporters of The Obamama socialist plan.

4 Posted by Jack Johnson at 10/14/09 02:29 PM

Go Get em Jan!

5 Posted by Jack Johnson at 10/14/09 02:34 PM

Consumers report always hated the US car industry and now the govt. takes over. They hate the us healthcare system and they want the govt. to take over it! Wonder if any GM/Chrysler vehicles make the Best Buy list this year? Hmmmmm.

6 Posted by Bill Metz at 10/14/09 04:25 PM

I'm with Jan Stevens and Jack Johnson.

The only way that we, the CU subscribers, can let Jim Guest know that he does not speak for all of us, is to vote with our feet, i.e., cancel our subscriptions.

How can CU give its approval to an overhaul of our vital healthcare system without knowing the actual terms of the pending legislation?

By my understanding, there are five bills, two in the Senate and three in the House, some of which are not even committed to writing yet.

There is broad disagreement among even Democrat legislators as to what is in and not in the bills.

Not to matter, the final bill will likely include provisions that aren't in any of the five.

How can CU sign on to such a pig in a poke? Whatever happened to reading the fine print before signing (in this case our literal life away)?

I'm all for improvements in our healthcare system; however, I for one am ill-prepared to sign a blank check; CU apparently has no such reservations.

7 Posted by Jackie Walker at 10/29/09 03:09 PM

I cannot believe the CU is supporting something that has not even been decided yet.
I always thought CU had the consumers best interests at heart (that is what CU has always said) I no longer believe that. I will not be renewing my subscribtion or make any more contributions to CU. Remember the subscribers to Consumers Reports are hard working Americans who want the best value for their money. Any so called Public Option health care plan is definitely not that. We don't need CR to tell us it is.

8 Posted by Richard Siktberg at 11/04/09 11:53 AM

No one has yet told me yet how much this is going to cost! This country is going broke and no one seems to care! We can't continue to spend money and not have some way to pay for it. The backers of these plans tell us they will pay for it with savings. Have you ever seen a government program that didn't cost more than was predicted? We need health care reform, but let's slow down and work out the details more carefully. I don't think there is anyone in congress that reads these thousand page plus bills.

9 Posted by Don Kress at 11/04/09 02:48 PM

The government could'nt run a hot dog stand. I am cancelling my subscription.

10 Posted by Marjie Wittekind at 11/04/09 04:33 PM

I agree whole heartedly with James Vanus, Don Kress, Richard Siktberg, Jackie Walker, Jan Stevens, Jack Johnson and Bill Metz. I'm canceling my subscription as soon as I can.

11 Posted by Floyd at 11/05/09 08:09 PM

I just returned from Canada and investigated their socialized heath care system, your in for a big supprise America. The wait times for treatment where several months, one person I spoke with had prostate cancer and had to wait 9 months for treatment.
I will be cancelling my Consumer Reports subscription.

12 Posted by David Turnage at 11/06/09 07:46 PM

I really could not tell that Consumer Reports was a liberal tool till this. Really liked your product, but politics should not have a role in it . Will not support you in any way again. What a pity!!!!

13 Posted by rohnjon9 at 11/26/09 02:42 AM

no transparency, no working together by both parties to target the real problems and come up with solutions. no, no, just a blanket policy out of Pelosi's and Reid's that has to be passed right now!! like the phony stimulus bill and pending bogus cap and trade legislation. cu should be neutral and not say "doing something is better than doing nothing"....cancel mine too.

14 Posted by Lucia Canas at 12/24/09 12:19 PM

I read with interest some of CR's suscribers' comments, especially the ones calling Obama's health care plan "socialist" (I doubt they know the meaning of the word). They make valid points about CU's political agenda which it isn't surprising because everybody has an agenda. I agree we should read the fine print before signing ANYTHING. My intuition tells me the government is trying to shove this bill down our throats without the benefit of a real discussion regarding the pros and cons of this so-called reform. How about organizing town hall meetings all across the land to explain it to the public in clear, simple language? I don't have the time(patience) to pour over hundreds of pages, probably written in lawyerspeak so nobody understands what the heck they're saying.
Obama just got his Christmas wish, but I want to ask CU: what does passage of this bill mean to me as a consumer?

15 Posted by Linda A at 02/25/10 07:06 PM

I agree that the government "can't run a hot dog stand" (LOL) but the problem is that private insurers have gotten too greedy. Those of you satisfied with your private insurance will have a very rude surprise if you ever actually need it--if bankrupcty over medical bills appeals to you, cast your lot with "private enterprise," & take a look at what those CEO's are earning. My medical premiums DOUBLED in the past year.

Although government at present can't run a hot dog stand, we at least have a snowball's chance in Hades of holding them accountable and insisting they get their stuff together.

This article doesn't mention that there's no public option (?) or what happens when citizens don't voluntarily sign up--the IRS is charged with making sure you do. That's not going to be popular. Without a public option, there are not going to be any significant changes, and the IRS is going to force people into a private market that quite frankly sucks the life out of us all. Heads they win, tails they win--you lose either way. Get on your Congressperson's tails and don't let up. MAKE government accountable. Private enterprise is not and will never be. (Go ahead and call me a "socialist," doesn't bother me--it's "realist.")