From USA TODAY:
…Citing its own 2009 study, America’s Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group, says 87% of people who apply nationally for individual coverage are offered a policy. That figure, however, includes people who are turned down for one policy but offered another that may cost more or have fewer benefits.
The federal website contains denial rates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories, and is updated periodically. The most current information is for the first three months of 2011. The data show that denial rates routinely exceed 20% and often are much higher, according to a Kaiser Health News review of 20 of the most populous states and the District of Columbia. The data reflect applications that are turned down for any reason.
The information provides fresh evidence of the challenges facing people buying individual health insurance. It also shows the likelihood of whether consumers are approved for a policy depends on which state they live in and the insurer they choose…
Click here to read the full article.
EDITOR: What is ignored by this article is the extraordinary obesity rate, poor eating habits, and sedentary nature of a large portion of our population. This is in part due to the failure of our health care system to provide economic incentives for investment in public health. As an example, look at Lancaster General Hospital’s failure to help fund a syringe exchange here in Lancaster.
A system where the incentive is in keeping people healthy rather than just treating ills would promote public health from the womb to the tomb. That is one of the goals of Obama Care.
