State of the Union "Bush-Care" is
Junk Health Care Plan, widow & consumer groups say
Santa Monica, CA -- The health plan that
President Bush is expected to announce in Tuesday's
State of the Union address, "isn't worth a dime because
it allows insurance companies to sell junk policies that
don't protect patients when they are sick," according to
a widow whose husband was insured under the type of
limited benefits policy being promoted by Bush, but owed
a half million dollars in medical bills when he died
from cancer.
The tragic story of Dana and Doug Christensen
is part of a new online resource published by the
Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR)
pointing out the skeletal benefits and new burdens under
the "Bush Care" health proposals to be unveiled in
tomorrow's State of the Union address. Visit FTCR's
"Bush-Care" resource page at:
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/healthcare/BushCare/
"What's the point of paying for health
insurance and then when you need it, discovering the
benefits you thought were promised and paid for just
aren't there?" said Dana Christensen, a volunteer with
FTCR who lives in Playa Del Rey, California. "Mega Life
had told us that they would pay 80% of hospital costs
and we would pay 20%. They didn't tell us that
chemotherapy was capped at $1,000 a day. Doug's
chemotherapy charges were as high as $18,000 a day!"
According to information already released from
the White House, Bush-Care would "require patients to
pay more for less health care," said Jerry Flanagan of FTCR by: <UL
Expanding junk-benefit "association health
plans," insurance policies that promise cheap,
comprehensive coverage but don't cap the amount of money
consumers pay out of pocket. The president's plan would
remove association health plans from accountability to
state consumer protection rules and courts.
Relying on health savings accounts, which
promise lower monthly premiums but require patients to
pay a lot more out of pocket before coverage kicks in.
When patients bear a greater cost, they delay needed
treatment and increase health costs in the long run.
Extending individual tax deductions for
health care costs, a scheme to "let insurance companies
and big pharma steal our money then give us a tax
deduction to soften the blow," said FTCR.
Though the Christensens were insured with an
association health plan, Dana was left with $450,000 in
unpaid medical bills when her husband died of bone
cancer. Their insurance had no limit on out of pocket
costs for patients, unlike traditional health insurance
or HMOs. It covered only a small portion of chemotherapy
costs even though Dana was told they'd had full
coverage. On his deathbed, Dana's husband Doug asked her
to divorce him so she would not be responsible for the
bills. She refused. Read the Christensens' story at:
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/healthcare/st/?postId=5795
"I think President Bush is more concerned about
the welfare of the insurance business than in quality
health care for people like you and me," said Dana
Christensen. "I wish he would sit down with me and let
me tell him what happened to Doug before he promotes
these plans."