Why are insurer's able to reject people because of pre existing conditions?

[tinyfriction541]

Most colleges offer health insurance to their students for a fee. Look into it. It's really not that terribly expensive for a single person. You can probably get coverage for as little as $100. per month (for major medical) Depends on the state you live in.

Regarding your dad.....Most all states have risk pools. I am in one myself, but they are expensive. This is one reason we need reform. If a person brought on that condition by their own behavior, they should pay more. If they didn't, then why do they have to pay more? It needs lots of work.

[in vino veritas]

Greed.

Pure and simple.

[BabaBright]

Why would you insure someone you know is sick and will most likely cost you money? Isn't it obvious?

There needs to be some way to get these people covered.

[Smart Kat]

Do you get to insure you house AFTER a hurricane, then expect the insurance company to fix the damage from the hurricane?

Insurance is for covering FUTURE events, not the results of PAST events.

[Joe Biden]

Medicare denies more claims on average then private insurance companies and if private insurance companies fail to cover what they promise you can always sue and receive monetary compensation and if you relies on the govt who can you sue? Who can you petition and most importantly who else can you go to get better coverage? These are the most important question and reason to hate the notion of govt run health care.

Blue Cross Blue Shield is not the same in every state. In some states it is an extension of the state govt, not for profit and for profit.

Listen Kid. I am 36. I have been without insurance for nearly 15 years and guess what? I go to the walk in clinics when I need to which is one time in that 15 years and guess what? I am not rich, not poor and not in need of compassionate bureaucrats deciding in my later years whether I get treatment or not.

[Anglo 409]

Health insurance, as are all insurances, life, auto, etc, is based on the odds that the company will have to pay a claim against the policy. The companies base their rates and willingness to insure on their study of the factors that go into their having to pay.

A preexisting condition nearly guarantees the company will have to pay, so they, being an enterprise in a free economy, choose not to insure certain preexisting conditions. Compare auto insurance, they reject people with a lot of accidents or a DUI. Life insurance companies reject people who have illnesses or are very old.

This is one of the things which would be changed in the Obama health plan. Companies would be forced to accept people with preexisting conditions. That is very good for people like your dad, however, to make up for those losses, the companies would have to raise their rates for other people. This is in the simplest sense the crux of the health care reform argument: should the many pay extra to pay for insurance for the few?