sweetaffliction » insurance

Insurance Lifetime Caps Bill Introduced

David — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:53:04 +0000

The following news just came to me via email from NHF. If this bill eventually passes it would be an incredible accomplishment for our community and everyone faced with lifetime insurance cap issues.

Lifetime Caps Bill Introduced

On Friday, February 13, 2009, Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI), along with Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced the Health Insurance Coverage Protection Act (H.R. 1085; S442). The legislation, introduced in both houses in 2008, will set a $10 million minimum lifetime cap on health insurance, with future increases based on inflation.

The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) played a vital role in encouraging the legislation and assembling a coalition of more than 50 patient advocacy and health organizations currently working for its passage. “However, nothing could happen without the critical leadership of the members of Congress who recognized this problem and decided to do something about it,” said Val Bias, NHF CEO. “We applaud these leaders for identifying this critically needed piece of healthcare reform and moving it forward.” On Thursday, February 26, 2009, more than 350 people affected by bleeding and clotting disorders will gather on Capitol Hill for our annual Washington Days advocacy event. We will express our support for this important legislation and discuss other key healthcare issues with members of Congress and their staff.

“Having an inadequate lifetime cap defeats the purpose of health insurance and forces those with disabilities and chronic illnesses into an impossible situation,” Dorgan said. “Low caps also end up costing the taxpayer because once people with illnesses hit their cap, they often turn to government programs for their care. This legislation will raise lifetime insurance caps and allow those with illnesses to focus on recovering—not worrying about how they are going to pay for their treatment.”

“This bill addresses a critical lack of coverage for those with disabilities or chronic illnesses,” said Eshoo. “It’s a travesty to think that people are job-hopping in order to switch insurance plans or quitting their job all together to access Medicaid. Increasing the minimum lifetime cap will result in a net savings for federal and state governments because individuals with high medical costs can maintain private health insurance. As medical treatment costs continue to increase, the issue of lifetime insurance maximums will become even more important. This legislation will protect individuals who are struggling to pay for the expensive medical treatments that are a result of a disability or chronic illness.”

NHF applauds the efforts of the bill’s sponsors and co-sponsors. We will keep you informed of further action on this bill after Washington Days.

POSTED BY: DAVID

“Tax Free” Insurance Premiums

admin — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:23:00 +0000

A couple of days ago I was interviewed for a piece on KUTV news about “Tax Free” Insurance Premiums. Under IRS Code Section 125, individuals are allowed to use “tax free” dollars to pay for individually owned, qualified insurance policies for you, your spouse, and any tax dependents which are NOT sponsored by an employer. Not all policies are qualified. Well the plan I am currently on is the Utah State HIP insurance program. However, the State of Utah has passed a law that states individuals on HIP may NOT pay for their insurance premiums tax free. The story on KUTV calls this law “mean” and they are pretty much right since I pay a little over $500 per month out of my own pocket but cannot claim the tax free status like most individuals do. Example: an individual earning $30,000 per year and paying $200 per month out of pocket for an individual health insurance policy stands to increase their net take home pay by $600 per year if they participate in a Premium Reimbursement Program.

POSTED BY: DAVID

Welcome to sweetaffliction.com – A Hemophilia Blog

David — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:42:51 +0000

So it begins…… Sweet Affliction is our blog about Hemophilia. Shall we say – the Hemophilia lifestyle. Much of it will be autobiographical in nature focusing on our experiences living with the disease. Since we are both adults born prior to 1990, many of the stories and posts here will focus on HIV and Hepatitis C – two diseases that many OLDER Hemophiliacs like ourselves were infected with by contaminated blood products before there were effective processes in place to protect the blood supply. Today Hemophilia has become an extremely manageable disease. Patients and their families are blessed with a variety of EXTREMELY SAFE and very effective medicines and treatments. Many of THESE young family’s stories will unfold on this site as well. Some will be heartbreaking, but we know that MOST will be uplifting, engaging and leave lasting impressions in your memory as you read, listen and watch the stories present themselves. Hemophilia continues today to be a disease that flies under the radar with so many people and even healthcare workers having very little if any understanding or knowledge about the disease. Things like the fact that it is extremely common for a patient with Hemophilia to spend 1 million dollars annually in medical costs just for clotting medicine alone, with most patients spending at least $100,000. That fact alone makes this affliction a compelling one and illustrates the disaster of the current American healthcare and insurance landscape. We will focus on many of these types of topics as we progress down our life journeys and glimpse into the lives of many others. We hope you will enjoy this site and visit it often!

POSTED BY: DAVID