The dreaded “pre-existing condition” has forced many people to go without health insurance or pay massive premiums if they could even find a carrier to accept them. For the most part, only healthy people can buy private health insurance.
Now, insurers are saying they’ll write policies for people with pre-existing conditions if the federal government requires insurance for everyone, much like the Massachusetts model. Of course, the private insurers would stand to gain considerably from a law requiring everyone to have personal health insurance, with a large pool to spread the risk.
Out of control health care costs are the underlying problem, yet it is the health insurance industry that shares a healthy portion of the blame for allowing these costs to explode over the decades. Can more health insurance for everyone actually reduce costs while making people healthier?
There’s discussion now of an expanded Medicaid program for all citizens that would compete with the private insurers. If that happens, the point of excluding people with pre-existing conditions would be moot. Nevertheless, this exclusion would let a lot of families breath a little easier.
