When you deal with a chronic illness – say, arthritis, diabetes or heart disease – health care is never far from your mind.
In May 2008 we asked people in the arthritis community, including Arthritis Today readers, what they think about health care and its reform. Of the more than 6,000 people responding to an exclusive Arthritis Today-Arthritis Foundation online survey, 50 percent said they were “very concerned” about their access to and the affordability of medical services, medication and/or insurance over the next five years. Results have been rounded and respondents’ comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.
So, what health-care issues do readers want the president of the United States and Congress to know? What we found seems to coincide with what many Americans express (such as that insurance and medications cost too much, it’s difficult to get insurance with a pre-existing condition, and Medicare is complicated and costly). But respondents – nearly all with at least one form of arthritis or related condition – reminded us they must deal with these struggles every day. And they are ready for solutions.
Insurance – Getting It and Keeping It
In the insurance world, a chronic illness often is referred to as a pre-existing condition. All too often, it’s the reason insurance companies impose a waiting, or exclusionary, period during which expenses are not yet covered – or, in the case of an individual application, rejected. This practice prevents people from purchasing insurance only when they are ill, which raises insurance companies’ costs. Under federal law, if a person takes a job with employer-provided health insurance, the insuror may impose an exclusion period of up to 12 months if the employee has pre-existing conditions. However, for individual health insurance, exclusionary periods vary by state.
Many survey respondents told us they have been unable to purchase independent health insurance altogether, and others have been dropped due to their high medical claims. Some work more than one job or stay in a negative job situation to keep their insurance.
Forty-two percent said insurance was their most important health concern. And almost 4 percent told us they have no health insurance, citing cost and a pre-existing condition clause.
Your Voice is Heard
“I’m one job away from losing my coverage. If I do, no one will insure me due to pre-existing autoimmune diseases.”
– respondent with osteoarthritis (OA) and lupus
“After being self-employed for 21 years, my husband had to join a firm for health coverage. We could not get it with my pre-existing condition, RA.”
– respondent with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
“Because I have a pre-existing condition, I cannot afford decent coverage, nor [does my health allow me to] work a traditional 40-hour-a-week-with-benefits job.”
– respondent with fibromyalgia and spondylitis
“I have the good fortune to have insurance and access to doctors and medications. I consider myself lucky, and medical attention should not be based on luck.”
– respondent with juvenile arthritis
Why ?
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