The Uninsured and the Helpless

When I think about having to go to the hospital, I get anxious. Not out of fear of needles, knives or doctors, but out of the consternation that I, like 45 million other Americans, have no health insurance. Sure, I could buy into a plan that barely fits my budget, and hope I don't have to go to an out-of-network hospital, need a non-covered procedure, or just get a claim flat-out denied. There's also the possibility that I get sick, something horrible that doesn't go away. Cancer, for example. Insurance companies are known for trying to cancel the coverage of sick people, occasionally this is due to attempted fraud, but can be because you simply forgot to write down a medication you took a decade ago. Logic would say that is because they aren't going to make money off of them anymore.
In the Micheal Moore (I do not invoke this name lightly) movie 'Sicko,' you meet a person who worked for insurance companies whose sole job was to find ways and reasons to deny people coverage. So, let's assume that I an able to clear these hurdles. I acquire an insurance plan, avoid being denied because I forgot that I had a morphine shot before a minor surgery, and I file a claim for a routine procedure that should be covered by my plan. I should be golden, right? Not quite. The Washington Post reported that during a Senate hearing that the insurance companies routinely under-reimburse their policy holders, to the tune of billions.
But why would an insurance company do such things? Isn't their purpose to hedge against personal illness with a low, monthly payment that shows how much they truly care about the average American? Not at all. An insurance company is a BUSINESS, whose sole motivation is to maximize profits while minimizing liability. As medical costs have soared, so have insurer profits. The doctors, insurers and pharmaceutical companies are all highly overcharging, and reaping all the benefits. It's no big surprise that these bloated corporations pulling in billions every year at the expense of the getting-by masses are almost all completely against any overhaul to the American health care system. Although, not all companies are fighting it, some are aligning with the push because it is politically sensible.
The fight for cheap, public or (gasp) universal health care isn't going to be an easy one, someone somewhere along the line is going to end up losing money. Many someones, I predict. But if the American public wins, the losses in corporations quarterly profits will just have to happen. Times are changing, and so is our health care.
I stumbled onto this, and I'm totally going to get one. Get one yourselves, those of you that are Uninsured as well, and let everyone start seeing the reality of the problem.