To get a picture of how Obama Care now makes it possible for you to find health insurance you need, even if you’ve been turned down before, let’s look at a parallel situation.
The Nightmare
Imagine a family emergency. You need to fly back to your hometown, somewhere in America. You hurry to the airport and ask a major airline to sell you a ticket. The ticket agent looks over the airline’s rules, and says, “I’m sorry. Our records show you’ve used the airline too many times. You aren’t eligible for any more flights. We can’t sell you a ticket.”
You rush over to the window of another airline, and beg them to sell you a ticket. The airline agent looks over their rules and says, “We will sell you a ticket, but because you have used discounts so many times, you can’t have your choice of flights, and we are going to charge you thousands of dollars to get a seat like the ones we charge other customers a few hundred dollars for — if you promise you won’t ever ask for a ticket again. Asking for a return flight will cancel this offer.”
By now, you are getting frantic. You rush to another window, and ask if there is any way you can get a ticket at a normal cost. You are told, “If you are too poor to buy a plane ticket, we can get you a bus ride. You’ll arrive four days later than an airplane, but it might get you to your hometown in time to see your father before he dies.”
This would be a good time to wake up and find out it was all a bad dream.
The Good News
Well, our country has woken up to the fact that Americans with pre-existing health care have previously been denied health insurance coverage, or even dropped from existing policies, had their benefits capped and even been forced into bankruptcy to pay for catastrophic illness.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Acts of 2010 have ended the nightmare of finding the health insurance you need at a price you can afford.
Now, back to our imaginary scene. Let’s picture some good news.
You need a flight home, and you need it now. You know you could log on to the Internet and find a site that would help you compare flights from different airlines, at different times, at different prices.
But you know the smartest thing to do would be to contact your travel agent. Her familiarity with all the different factors guarantees she will find you the best flight, at the best price. She uses her connections, her years of experience and you have tickets on the flight you need, waiting for you within minutes at your terminal.
Obama Care and Your Insurance Broker
It really is that simple with the new Obama Care provisions. Insurance companies must sell you a policy that covers essential health care and preventive services, even if you have a pre-existing condition. Even if you have been denied coverage before. It is your right, and it is the law.
Your independent insurance broker is the person who can help you find the right insurance for you, at the right price. As an independent agent, he is able to shop around and find which company is offering what you need, at the price you decide you should pay for premiums and deductibles or co-payments. You want someone who not only knows the insurance business, but understands how the new laws work in your favor. You may be eligible for tax credits or even up-front help to offset the cost of your premiums or deductibles.
So if you thought you couldn’t get help, think again. The laws –and your insurance broker– are on your side.
Recent Comments