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. (That’s the GOLD level). You can’t go “out of network” 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 physician’s visits is $147 per year. The hospital deductible is $1,260 for the first 60 days.
Signup is simple. You don’t need to go to an Exchange. Just present your birth certificate dated prior to November 17, 1949 and you’re in. What’s that? You don’t have such a birth certificate? Oops! Sorry. I can’t sign you up for this policy.
Why can’t I sign you up? That’s a very good question to ask your elected representatives in Washington. They are responsible for the disaster we refer to as the “Affordable Care Act.” 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 “company” is the U.S. government and the policy is Medicare. You might like to suggest to your congressional representatives that “Medicare-for–All” 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
