So I'm doing a little Sunday afternoon internet browsing, and I come across this story in on the Washington Post site. In it, a 51 year-old man in good health, tells us that he is a Republican and did not vote for Barack Obama (I Googled him and yes, his political contributions have been to Republicans). Putting these credentials aside, the writer--a Mr. John Hewko, tells us that he supports the President's health care initiative because of his own particular situation.
By way of introduction, I have included here what I believe to be Mr. Hewko's "Linked-in" resume.
His situation as I understand it, is that he went from being someone enrolled in the Federal Government's Federal Employee Health Plan Benefit Plan (FEHBP) to having to self-finance health insurance as a consequence of having left his job in government. Currently covered by COBRA, that will soon run out.
After leaving government, he has chosen to be an "independent consultant". What this means is that he must self-finance his (and his family's) health care, because he is in effect, a small business owner (a business with one employee). His article largely bemoans that fact that the company through which he was ensured while working for the feds, will not ensure him as an independent under similar monthly premiums. The fact that the federal government was previously paying a large portion of his very nice plan's costs ( for example, the 2010 CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield monthly premium in DC for a Federal Employee and family is $1093.47, of which $814.75 is picked up by Uncle Sugar) seems lost on him now, as he asserts that he would be happy to pay "slightly" higher premiums. But this isn't even the most annoying part of his story.
The annoying part would be the fact that he doesn't seem to have considered any other health plans offered through any other companies other than one who was previously ensuring him. If he had written that he had tried a half-dozen other plans, maybe I'd have some sympathy. But he doesn't write that.
Nor does he indicate what his income is, or what his savings are. As I look at that resume from Linked-in, I see a wholly employable guy who has likely spent the lion's share of the past 20 years in the top 5% of wage earners in this country. Presumably with a resume like that and the international business contacts he's made, he could easily have landed a high paying job in virtually any law firm in DC---which would have come with group health insurance. But--you say--he wanted to be an independent consultant. Fine with me--he made a choice. He chose to be an independent--which means he pays the total cost of his own health care. But let's not cry too much for Mr. Hewko--I mean, he's not subject to the Obama Administration's ridiculous strictures on post-government employment. It is hard to imagine a guy like this not being able to bill at $ 500-800 an hour--but let's assume he's pulling down a paltry $400K. Is it too much to expect that his healthcare and that of his family would consume 9% of his take (he said the premium on the ONE policy CareFirst offered him was $3000 a month)? Should the healthcare and health insurance scheme for the rest of America be messed with on a cosmic scale so that this guy can continue to pay $278.72 month health insurance premiums on a goldplated policy? I don't think that's the kind of reform I'm in favor of, and I don't think many readers will either.
Wants me to pay? Hey Bub, kiss my white ass and do without until you can afford it. I ain't took you to raise.
ReplyDeleteWell, if he lived in Alabama, Mr. Hewko would likely be trying to get his health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, who currently owns 83% of the health care market in Alabama (and 96% of the small business health insurance market). And if he did apply, and IF he was allowed to be insured by BCBSAL (and this, of course, is far, far from a sure thing), then he would now be paying large premiums with high deductibles. And, he would still have NO insurance coverage for any "condition for which you received medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment preceding enrollment in the plan" for a period of one year as BCBSAL does not cover such "pre-existing" conditions. That's right, you'd pay premiums for a year and Blue Cross would not pay a cent for any health condition you had ever previously seen a physician about.
ReplyDeleteEasy to understand how BCBSAL can afford to pay company president Phillip Pope over $3 million this year and COO Terry Kellogg over $2 million this year. Plus all the perks like company cars, etc.