Health Insurance and You!

Wherever you go today, the topic of conversation is the new federal guidelines regarding mammograms and self-testing to detect breast cancer. This is a highly charged issue. After all, who doesn’t know someone who has had a brush with this ubiquitous disease? In addition to our reasonable fear of cancer, the discussion is taking place against the backdrop of health reform. Here are the two sides of the conversation.

Testing at 40
Many people are appalled and frightened by the new guidelines. The public has been taught since the beginning of time that women have to conduct monthly self-exams and have annual mammograms starting at the age of 40. We have been told that early detection saves lives. There seems to be no shortage of stories about young women who would have succumbed to the disease had they not found a tumor in a mammogram.
Furthermore, these new guidelines were issued by a federal agency, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, which according to the New York Times, arrived at the exact opposite conclusion after conducting studies only seven years ago. If your life, or the life of someone you love is at stake, why would you take a risk that a few years down the road they will reverse direction again?
Finally, because the recommendations were made by a federal agency people fear that any new government-influenced health care system will not pay for the tests. For more on this go to www.breastcancer.org

Testing at 50
The argument for postponing mammograms and foregoing self-exams seems coolly logical. The efficacy of mammography as a life-saving procedure has been the subject of debate for years. This is not the first study to suggest that mammograms do not save lives. In fact, researchers argue that mammograms cause harm because they force people to undergo an untold number of unnecessary, painful, costly and anxiety-creating procedures for cancers that may not be life-threatening.
Additionally, it is important to remember that the guidelines do not suggest that women who may be deemed at high risk of developing cancer should not be screened early. If a doctor finds that a patient is at risk either from medication, lifestyle, genetic testing or something else, a mammogram can be ordered regardless of the patient’s age.

Patients will be calling their doctors en masse over the next week seeking advice on this subject. You may want to be one of those callers.

Since 1985, many laid off workers have been protected by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). COBRA allows workers the option of keeping the health insurance coverage they had while employed for up to 18 months, as long as they can pay the full amount of the premium.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation focusing on major health care issues, the number of people taking advantage of COBRA is not available. But one study implies that only 19% of eligible people were using COBRA in early 2009. Because employer-sponsored programs cover on average 83% of health insurance premiums, individuals who find themselves laid off have the double-edged burden of a fourfold increase in their health care costs and the loss of their incomes. It is not at all surprising that so few people choose to continue their coverage.

Last March, as a part of the economic stimulus package known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the federal government began offering substantial subsidies to help laid off workers pay their COBRA health insurance premiums for nine months. The package offers unemployed workers a 65% discount in the cost of their premiums. The program has proven effective in that Kaiser estimates that twice as many eligible people are keeping their health insurance benefits.

Those who were among the first to apply for the ARRA subsidies are coming to the end of their eligibility for the federal discount. And eligibility to begin receiving the discount is ending in two months. While congress is considering a bill to extend the subsidies, many people are finding themselves in a difficult situation. Should they stay on COBRA even though their costs may skyrocket, or should they seek other less expensive options?

An article by M.P. McQueen in today’s Wall Street Journal quotes one human resources expert who advises that participants should remain on COBRA if they can afford it especially if they or their dependents have any pre-existing conditions. For others, Mr. McQueen exploring their options by comparison shopping for private health insurance plans.

If you find yourself in such a situation, GetInsured.com is a great place to explore your options. Knowledgeable and helpful associates will listen to your situation and provide you with easy to use information about private health plans to meet your health needs as well as your budget.