By Stan Gutelius, M.D.
Auburn (N.Y.) Citizen, Letters, Nov. 20, 2014
Good news! Now that we are in that time of year when you should be comparing your medical insurance policy with other possible policies, I can offer you the one you have been looking for.
It is offered by a company that has been in business for 49 years. Once you have it, it is yours forever. It is not related to your employment or the state of your health. It pays for 80 percent of the covered services. (Thatâs the GOLD level). You canât go âout of networkâ because there are no networks. You can see any physician or go to any hospital you desire.
The premium is $104.90 per month. The deductible for physicianâs visits is $147 per year. The hospital deductible is $1,260 for the first 60 days.
Signup is simple. You donât need to go to an Exchange. Just present your birth certificate dated prior to November 17, 1949 and youâre in. Whatâs that? You donât have such a birth certificate? Oops! Sorry. I canât sign you up for this policy.
Why canât I sign you up? Thatâs a very good question to ask your elected representatives in Washington. They are responsible for the disaster we refer to as the âAffordable Care Act.â Everyone in the country should have access to the policy I describe above. No need for networks, exchanges, or sky high out of pocket expenses.
What? Oh, sorry. I forgot to mention that the âcompanyâ is the U.S. government and the policy is Medicare. You might like to suggest to your congressional representatives that âMedicare-forâAllâ would be a really good idea.
Dr. Stan Gutelius resides in Auburn.
http://auburnpub.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letter-medicare-for-all-would-be-affordable/article_8ceb6431-bddc-523c-b004-4b0d0f7faa33.html