Charlotte Said:

Can I Cancel Employer Provided Health Insurance?

We Answered:

Check with your HR department to see if you have to wait for open enrollment to cancel your coverage or if you can sign a waiver at any time, all companies are different.
Keep in mind that if you would decide you wanted to be on your employers plan, because of a major illness or because your rates jumped there might be limitations since you already waived off coverage.
You should sit down and see how the pre-tax dollars will affect your taxes, will it put you into the next tax bracket?
Your employer can't give you money towards an individual policy, so take into consideration that you would pay for that policy yourself.

Edna Said:

When will physicians and surgeons make their preferences about McCain or Obama Health Insurance Fixes?

We Answered:

Well, they just did on a website I read. It reduced the arguing and knit picking to bullets and pointed out some new ones I hadn't heard of before. It's created and written by physicians and surgeons, not any particular organization with an axe to grind.

You can click here to get it www.physicians-surgeons-mccain.com

Norma Said:

How do health insurance caps work?

We Answered:

yes, hospitals contract with insurance companies, also.

You can call the hospital, and ask them what the contracted amount is for that procedure, and ALSO ask them what the contracted additional charges are for anesthesia, daily rate for the room, nursing care, etc. You should be able to get a pretty good idea what the TOTAL cost is, to figure out how much is going to be over the $7500 lifetime cap.

You should also call the insurance company, to clarify that you haven't had it done before, so that you've got full access to teh entire $7500 - and see what other deductibles and copayments apply.

Phillip Said:

How will Universal Health care effect the Insurance companies and the Physicians?

We Answered:

Great question. Banks going under now, insurance companies and physicians, hospitals and clinics next if universal health comes in. Canada is a perfect example. And residents up there come into the US for the healthcare they need.

Kurt Said:

What aspects of the current U.S. health insurance system are working efficiently and effectively?

We Answered:

Are costs being minimized? Has the cost of health care gone up at a lower rate than other costs?
> > > Without looking at anything other than my personal experience, I know that costs for me are going up. A follow-up visit to my doctor after pneumonia for less than a ten minute visit was $99.00. My first two visits for that were $217 and $192 respectively and again, I didn't see the doctor for more than fifteen minutes either visit (though I was in the office for a while).

Are increasing numbers of people getting access to the care they need? Is coverage expanding?
>>> Again, from my own experience, people I know are either covered by their employee plans, or have no coverage.

Are fewer and fewer people going bankrupt because they can't afford their health care costs?
>>> From the information I have read, medical bills are the reason most people still have to declare bankruptcy. It wouldn't be fewer people going bankrupt because they can't afford health care bills, but more.

Are employees all talking about what a joy and a pleasure it is to have employer-provided insurance?
The insurance I have is okay. The family deductible is still $1000 and our prescriptions run a couple hundred dollars (or a bit more) per month.

Are employers generally happy with the health care plans they provide to their employees?
>>>> I think small businesses are very unhappy with the health care plans they provide because they can't get very good plans without exorbitant premiums. Larger employers can, by virtue of numbers, get better deals.

Do people in managed care plans have freedom of choice about what doctors to see? Is it easy for them to locate, make an appointment with, and receive insurance coverage for the physicians of their choice?
>>>>>>> I think it depends on the particular plan.
Do insurance companies have a good track record of making payments promptly and efficiently, with a minimum of paperwork and other red tape?
>>> I would think not, and from personal experience, there are many hoops to jump through to get coverage.