Health insurance professional on Obama care: 'Legislation comes at an inopportune time'.

• Author: Frazier, David
• Position: HEALTH & MEDICINE: OPINION

In my view the much publicized Affordable Care Act enacted March 23 could not have come at a more inopportune time given that the nation is in an economic crisis of immense proportions. The legislation requires employers to provide health insurance coverage with mandated benefits for the uninsured, both employed and unemployed, which will be funded through increases to payroll taxes and premium costs.

HEALTH INSURANCE CRISIS

Certainly, we have a health insurance crisis in America: 15 percent of the population is either underinsured or lacks coverage at all. That's a big problem, and we need a plan to fix that situation by providing affordable health insurance. The Obama plan doesn't solve the problem, it only exacerbates the issue. It's no wonder the electorate is unhappy, the President's polling numbers are weak and the opposition is gaining political strength.

Clearly what this new legislation does not include is any cost-containment feature that the American people can understand. What Americans do understand is that medical costs are way too high. Treatment for serious illness is something that is barely affordable, even if your employer is providing group insurance coverage.

No COST CONTROLS FOR MEDICAL CARE

The new health care law does not include cost controls that will help the average American pay for necessary and important medical care. It does add medical mandates that seem important, but only add costs to the patient and health care system. Sadly, while these features will certainly create and expand entitlement programs, they do little to actually control the cost of care, which the majority of Americans see as the biggest problem with health care delivery today.

One of the first requirements of the new law calls for group and individual health insurance plans to pay all preventive care, with no lifetime maximum. All diagnostic procedures are to be paid-in-full with no patient cost sharing (no co-pays), including all laboratory, x-ray tests, immunizations and colonoscopies. The additional cost of this liberalization of coverage, although popular, is to be paid for with new federal taxes.

Other mandates include expansion of group insurance coverage for disabled adult dependents, students up to the age of 26, expanded air transportation benefits, additional coverage for mental and nervous conditions, participation in clinical trials, premium reduced for COBRA benefits, and well baby care extended to age 3. Of course, this all...