Is Technology Making People Feel Alone? Literature & Language Essay

just need to add to my essay and add few my discussion into it which I attached.

1. Thesis Statement

Short-term health insurance policies are once again emerging in the United States. Health insurance is complicated and hard to understand. This is what insurers and agents bank on to promote the short-term policies which are no difference from the policies during the days before Obamacare policies. The public should be careful with these policies because there is more than what meets the eyes.

1. The structure of traditional argument (deductive logic)

The article talks about the pitfalls and shortcomings of short-term policies that Americans may not be aware of. The author said that the new policies are not better than what is offered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and as such cannot be an alternative to Obamacare policies as they purport to. Another issue brought up in the article is that their coverage is limited to people without pre-existing health conditions. They are also not bound to cover the 10 essential benefits that include maternity coverage, mental health benefits and prescription drugs. The question of how much the public know about the brochure for marketing popular short-term plan is also raised in the article.

1. The claim, warrant and support (Toulmin Model)

Claim:

Trudy Lieberman states that:

These policies are not required to cover anyone with preexisting health conditions, a key point not well understood by the public, which has gotten used to the fact that those requirements are included in Obamacare policies. The short-term policies are returning to the pre-Obamacare days when insurers could deny coverage for conditions like asthma, diabetes, and glaucoma. (n.p)

This is to say that these policies are not offering anything unique to what is provided by Affordable Care Act.

Warrant:

Lieberman says, because the existing framework allows insurers to do a careful scrutiny of applicant’s health, the possibility of selling the cheap policies like the one promoted in the internet cannot be ruled out. As such Lieberman argues that if anyone falls into the trap and rushes to purchase these policies, they are likely to be in trouble in event of sickness.

Support:

He used a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation which studied the products/plans of various health insurers selling short-term policies. The study found that some plans do not cover maternity care and only 57 % of the plans surveyed by the foundation covered mental health. They also showed that what is paid by some policies in terms of claims ranges between 30 to 40 percent of the premium paid. By contrast this is very small compared to Obamacare policies paying at least 80 percent. Another fact demonstrated by the author is the skewed arrangement that cater for drugs purchased by policyholders. The author states that the “arrangements are not the same as a full-fledged drug benefit, which pays a far greater share of someone’s drug cost.” On a similar note, consumers are likely to lose money spent on these policies since insurers have many ways of denying claims.

1.  Rogerian elements of argument (the problem, opponent’s position and validity found by the author of the article).

Are the emerging short-term policies alternative to what is provided by Obamacare or rather the Affordable care Act? The author argues that the new short-term policies are nothing but a new version of the policies that precede Obamacare. Lieberman states, “The short-term policies are returning to the pre-Obamacare days when insurers could deny coverage for conditions like asthma, diabetes, and glaucoma.” Worth of note is that before the enactment and implementation of the U.S Affordable Care Act, a child could be disqualified from getting insurance simply because of ear infection.

Lieberman discusses the opposite side stating that indeed the premiums charged by these new policies are low. They go as much as 54% less than what is offered by Obamacare making them more attractive than the latter. If what the insurers are advertising is anything to go by, no American will have to pay exorbitant premium for health insurance and get value for their money.

Lieberman discusses the value of health insurance in the United States that is not deceptive but committed to helping the country come close to the dream of achieving universal health care. Lieberman states that any health insurance policy touted as alternative to Obamacare policy should not have limited coverage. The policies should cover a person with preexisting health condition and should also cover the 10 essential benefits such as mental health, maternity coverage etc.  

Examine Short-Term Health Policies with Extra Care before Buying

BY TRUDY LIEBERMAN

If ever there were an award for the best “buyer beware” story, a tale detailing the pitfalls of short-term health insurance would certainly rise to the top of the list of nominees.

Short-term term policies — not to be confused with association policies I’ve written about before — are hitting the market once again, sanctioned by the federal government and pushed by insurers and agents. These policies are sold for short durations such as three months, six months, or a year, but coverage can be for as long as three years under rules set by the Trump administration.

They are being marketed as an alternative to Affordable Care Act policies and presented as a way for people to obtain insurance without paying exorbitant premiums. Indeed their low premiums — as much as 54 percent less than an Obamacare policy — are the main attraction.

“We guarantee that you always get the lowest price available on all the Short Term health insurance plans we sell,” promises Agile Health Insurance, an online seller. If you Google “Obamacare policies,” you’ll see other enticing ads such as “Cut your Health Insurance Costs! Many Health Plan Options for $99/mo or less” and “Find Affordable Health Insurance — Quote to Card in 8 minutes.”

But if you fall for the pitch and buy one of the newly resurrected short-term policies in eight minutes, you’re likely to be in big trouble if you get sick. Health insurance is complicated and hard to understand.

Perhaps sellers are banking on that.

First off, these policies are not required to cover anyone with preexisting health conditions, a key point not well understood by the public, which has gotten used to the fact that those requirements are included in Obamacare policies. The short-term policies are returning to the pre-Obamacare days when insurers could deny coverage for conditions like asthma, diabetes, and glaucoma. A history of ear infections could be enough to disqualify a child from getting insurance.

Sometimes people could get insurance but not for the very conditions for which they actually need the coverage. It was common to see policies that excluded coverage for all diseases of the respiratory system or the circulatory system but extended it for ailments affecting other parts of the body.

Now because insurers are allowed once again to carefully scrutinize an applicant’s health, it’s possible to sell the cheapie policies some of the Internet advertising is promoting.

A second limitation of the new short-term policies is the coverage itself. Unlike the ACA offerings, these policies don’t have to cover the 10 essential benefits that include maternity coverage, mental health benefits, and prescription drugs. The Kaiser Family Foundation has identified some plans that do not cover maternity care, and only 57 percent of the plans the foundation surveyed covered mental health.

A policy from United Healthcare’s Golden Rule subsidiary, a company known for “cherry-picking” customers who constitute the lowest risk — meaning those who are healthiest and unlikely to generate claims — limits its pharmacy benefit to a maximum $3,000. Its lowest level option offers only a discount drug card, which entitles someone to a discount at point of purchase.

Higher levels of coverage provide a “preferred price card” meaning people pay at point of service, trying to get the lowest price. Then they can then submit their claims to the insurance company. Once the deductible is met, people pay only their coinsurance up to the maximum benefit of $3,000.

Note: These arrangements are not the same as a full-fledged drug benefit, which pays a far greater share of someone’s drug costs.

Companies selling short-term policies are not paying out much in claims, says Katie Keith, a principal in Keith Policy Solutions and a part-time faculty member at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms. Some policies pay out in claims only about 30 or 40 percent of every dollar they collect in premiums while Obamacare policies must pay at least 80 percent.

Keith says that consumers may be wasting their money on premiums for these short-term policies because companies have many ways to deny claims.

Earlier this year, a group of consumer representatives to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners commissioned a study and found that the public struggled to understand the marketing brochure for a popular short-term plan. Consumers didn’t understand the concept of the plans, and mandated federal disclosures were ineffective and went largely unnoticed.

In other words: Buyer Beware!

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/opinion/ct-ptb-lieberman-guest-column-st-0425-story.html