Health insurance is a big issue today in the United States. It makes the big problem of unemployment even bigger. It is heart breaking enough to be out of work, but to be out of work with the additional worry of not being able to afford health costs for the family adds to the worry and frustration. What are the answers? Hopefully, the Health reform law will address this concern, but at this time, (September 27, 2020, and six months into the reform most everyone is taking a wait and see attitude.
Cobra (The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) where companies with twenty or more employees, is fading out of the picture, but some help remains. Legislation and all other alleged helps ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – formerly addressing unemployment, is ineffective as of May 2010. For those who lost their jobs prior to that date may still keep their “reduced premium plans for an additional eighteen months of help under COBRA.
Aside from that, what can the unemployed do about addressing their health care problems? *Try to retain whatever viable health care plan for as long as possible. At least until something better come along. *Where employees under the age of twenty-six are concerned, they are covered under their parents plan. This applies to non students as well as to students. They become eligible September 23, 2010, and the full plan addressing age 26 and under will begin with January 1 of 2011.
Of course the best overall way to address the health care cost of being unemployed is to find a job as soon as possible but that may not be easy. Few available jobs and too many seekers. Yet, keep trying. There is still a four year wait until the full coverage of everyone, no matter the illness or disability, where no one will be denied insurance from any insurance company. Yet, while out job seeking, don’t neglect your health coverage. Make finding solutions to these two options your priority and your daily nine to five priories, at least five days a week.
Those out of work should keep up the work hours. Don’t lag behind but spend the time profitably by attending classes, refreshing skills, and adding new ones, looking for work, health insurance, and filling in a forty hour week profitably. To do less will cause lethargy and apathy to gradually take over and limit employment searches.
By the year 2014, no one will be denied insurance no matter how debilitating the disease. The new health reform law is strong on the belief that everyone has a right to good health care and how best to do this, the planners resolved, than to have as many as possible insured. Some of the unbelievable practices of insurance companies who previously, in their greed, often found reasons to dismiss insurers with too costly diseases, and to deny those who seemed to be too ill for them to profit from carrying them, will no longer do this.
All of that supposedly will be a thing of the past. Although, in order to stay in business, insurance companies must make a profit. If that cannot be assured, then they and their workers will also join in the employment lines. Therefore, it is likely that all available plans will not be cheap.
What about the employees who are in business for themselves? What options are open for them? In order for a business to get help with their business plan, there must be at least two employees. A husband or wife working together, can claim one or the other as an employee. Therefore, instead of having co-ownership of a business, make one and employee and get their insurance cost reduced. Some states, eleven in all, covers businesses with one or more employees.
To learn more about how employees can learn more about what is available to them, especially if they have been denied, they can request a hearing from the Employee Benefits Security Administration. But whatever, don’t go overboard with despondency. That will surely be self-defeating and will add to the overall health care dilemma.
The best option of all is to make wellness the overall health care claim and work at it night and day. When less use of health care facilities, the costs will naturally be less for all involved. It will be less crowded for those in emergency rooms and in doctor’s offices for those truly in need. The best option for health care is to be insured, use the facilities only when absolute necessary, and remain open minded about its many problems.