If you’re fortunate enough to have health insurance through your job you’ve probably been spared the overwhelming costs, unreasonable conditions and frequent indignities of obtaining and paying for an individual health care coverage. But take it from those who have—or have tried—it’s a brutal, expensive and demoralizing way to live.
The Cover America Tour has crossed ten states so far and we’ve heard this same stories about individual health care in virtually every city, town, or country road we have stopped.
There was Gary (right), a technology consultant in Milford, Massachusetts whose spiraling insurance premiums get him less coverage each year. He needs equipment upgrades to keep his business going, but the high monthly insurance costs don’t allow room in the budget for any extras.
There was Peter, a t-shirt shop owner in Carbondale, PA who declined care for his amputated thumb because he can’t possibly afford an individual insurance policy. Sacrificing his thumb seemed like a better option than losing his home and business from medical bills to reattach it.
There was Marty in Ohio, a former veterinarian of 30 years who is burning through the savings she meticulously put aside for years for her retirement just so she can pay her ever-escalating insurance premiums and oppressive deductibles.
If the prices aren’t enough to scare you away from buying insurance on your own, the lack of consumer protections just might.
This week Families USA released a report, Failing Grades, which details the inadequate and inconsistent protections each state offers to people who have to purchase insurance on their own. The report found that safeguarding consumers is the exception—not the norm—in most states, and that attempting to buy individual insurance can leave you vulnerable to rejection for something as minor as cold sores, ridiculous premium hikes, and the abrupt cancellation of your policy without any recourse.
Last week in Pittsburgh, PA we heard about the egregious stunts pulled by an insurance company on one of its individual policy holder. When Tina called to update her policy with her married name, she decided to ask—just to be absolutely sure—whether she had maternity coverage. The agent said yes, giving Tina some comfort as she and her husband set about starting a family. Five months into her pregnancy the insurance company denied all maternity coverage.
It’s no wonder our recent investigative report found that those with individual coverage were more likely to have complaints about their coverage, pay higher premiums and deductibles, and postpone care due to high costs than those on employer plans.
If you find yourself out on your own for insurance, check out our tips for buying individual insurance for guidance on researching before you buy. But be forewarned: With few consumer protections and debilitating costs, the individual market is no place for the weak-stomached. With pre-existing conditions though, they probably won’t insure you anyway.
—Meagen Bohne, Campaign Organizer
Visit Cover America Tour to see more videos of the people we're talking to across America and to share your own health care story.
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