LETTER: How are people satisfied with current health system?

These must be all the people, mostly young and naturally healthy, who have yet to interface with the medical industry. Both your column and Frank Gillispie’s of Feb. 25 point out well why it is all such a mess. For those satisfied Americans, here is my story that could just as well be their story.

I became self-employed in 1982 and acquired an old-fashioned indemnity policy covering me, only, which worked reasonably well for nearly 10 years. Then, with my health essentially unchanged, the rates started skyrocketing (double digit) and I kept upping the deductible and reducing the benefits. Five years later I found myself paying $600 a month with a $10,000 deductible followed by an 80/20 co-pay for only a million dollar cap, no drug coverage and restrictions on pre-existing conditions. For a decade I had to fight a royal battle for literally each and every claim I made and I won them all. This was insane!

I tried to buy a different individual policy by applying to different insurance companies via the Internet. They were either no better, just as expensive or found the slightest reason to reject me. These inquiries, I discovered later, created an obstacle to securing coverage elsewhere because now I had a record of being turned down for insurance. I turned to an agent who managed to get me a Blue Cross & Blue Shield policy that very soon also got too expensive. He then put me on his own company’s group policy along with two people I knew in the same boat. I thought this was odd, but he said it was O.K. Eight months later BC&BS suddenly cancelled us all without warning. Apparently, this was not “kosher.” He then got me a $200 a month temporary policy with only scant catastrophic coverage that I kept renewing for three years because I simply had no other option. I became afraid to go to a doctor (still do) for fear something would appear on my medical record that would keep me from ever getting coverage again.

In 2005 my doctor of 16 years went to a concierge (VIP) practice far beyond my means. I felt abandoned and marginalized. I decided to stop the madness and simply do without the insurance and the medical world, to just let nature take its course as human beings have done since time began until the last couple of centuries. It felt peaceful to be relieved of this losing battle for health care, at least for a few years.

When I moved to Madison County recently, an agent in Athens arranged a $449 a month BC&BS policy for me, very steep during these economic times, but I began to fear the medical industry would not attend to me properly or at all if I didn’t have coverage. Nine months later the premium went to $555, a 24 percent increase even though I have made no claims. I know that as soon as I have any medical condition that will cost BC&BS money, they will immediately cancel me before I can even get to a hospital. So why am I paying so much money every month? This makes no sense; no wonder so many people drop this incredibly poor value.

I decided to keep paying and try using the medical industry again to at least get some return on my premiums. Properly, one should have a primary care physician, so I carefully researched and selected a large group practice in Athens and called to see if any of the doctors who were accepting new patients had had any experience with a particular problem I have. The receptionist called back to say (sheepishly) all the doctors in the practice agreed that none of them wanted to take me as a patient because of this problem, which makes diagnosing other problems a bit more difficult. Not only have I been rejected by insurance companies for hardly profound pre-existing conditions, now doctors are doing the same! I cannot win! This is wrong! This is immoral!

Insurance companies are evil, doctors are greedy and hospitals are sloppy and inefficient. I guess I go back to nature taking its course. At least it’s peaceful.

Sincerely,

Virginia Moss

Hull