Can we use a high risk pool in North Carolina?

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 During the 1990s State & federal policy makers took on a mission of seeing that all citizens would have health insurance. One of the goals was to expand access and portability of health insurance. At the Federal level HIPAA was passed in 1996, mandating the goals which all states could attain in their own way. The MSA bill was a small part of the huge HIPAA bill which included a mandate that all people be given access to medical insurance despite their medical risks.  

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 To insure those with known high medical risks, about half the states created, or used already established, "high risk pools".  Other states, including North Carolina, used a combination of small group reforms that required that all small group carriers offer at least one "guaranteed issue" product. NC also tried a Reinsurance program to encourage small group carriers to accept the medically uninsurable and share the costs among participating small group carriers. There was a cap on the premium price based on a percentage of the average premiums. But a cap meant the standard premiums had to rise sufficiently to cover the claims of the high risk individuals. It was a method that had merit, but only spread the high risk claims burden to a small segment of the insurance market. 

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 Because of NC's method of "guarantee issue" and their interpretation of a group being as small as a group-of-one, all citizens in NC were guaranteed access to insurance. The problem was all citizens seeking insurance through the individual or small group markets were given products that were higher in cost than their own health risks would warrant, due to the fact that they had to subsidize the high risk cases.  For this reason MSA qualifying insurance plans were not competitive within the group market and were not permitted within the individual market.   

Is there possibly a better way?  Yes

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 The other states that chose to use "high risk pools" have had various levels of success & failure, depending on the method of funding, eligibility requirements, and overall regulatory climate. Those states that have had successful pools have found them to be a stabilizing influence on the rest of the insurance market in the state.  We feel it time to revisit this possibility in North Carolina.  

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 A number of organizations are showing their support toward researching a high risk pool for North Carolina.   Triangle Medsaver Corp, in coordination with the North Carolina Association of Health Underwriters is hosting a website to assist citizens, legislators and members of the Department of Insurance in this endeavor.  We're calling it Citizens for a Health Insurance Risk Pool or CHIRP.

 

See ncchirp.org

 

Invitation to join us

Please join Triangle Medsaver Corp.  Help us lay a foundation in North Carolina toward more affordable medical insurance and freedom of choice for medical services.

If you have high deductible health insurance or no health insurance, or if you would like to pay cash for some health services outside of a managed care plan, physicians are willing to give you preferred rates.  You will save money;  both you and your physician will have more time and freedom for your medical care.

For
North Carolina Citizens

Memberships for individuals and for families:

$30/year

Call 919-493-9405 for information

 

What else can membership in Triangle Medsaver accomplish? 
The simplicity of direct payment for medical care is one of several free market solutions to restoring the affordability of health care and health insurance. Your independence from third party payers for your routine care saves you & your physician an average of 30% in overhead costs. These "cash agreements" are part of a larger movement taking place around the USA. When insurance companies understand that citizens want to be offered true high deductible insurance and when the legislators hear a large number of citizens asking for equitable tax treatment of health payments for small businesses and the self-employed, we will see progress. Happily, you don’t have to wait on the IRS to begin to see your health care costs decrease. Your physicians are ready to work with you now.

The Pros and Cons of Membership in Triangle Medsaver Corp.
Pros Cons
1.  You become part of the solution 1.  You won't have an employee of a managed care company reading your medical file to determine which services are to be covered
2.  You can enjoy preferred rates for your routine health care. 2.  You won't have a managed care company sending you a card to remind you to have a mammogram.  Your doctor might suggest you mark your calendar for such routine screening tests. 
3.  You won't have to waste time filling out insurance forms for affordable, routine medical services.   3.  You will have to pay between $50-$250 for a physical instead of just a $10 co-pay.  You will have to wonder how your employer and HMO used to pay those medical care costs when you just paid $10.   
4.  You won't have to beg anyone for specific treatments.  Everything is between you and your doctor.  4.  You  might miss out on all those millions of dollars you could win if your managed care company made a fatal error regarding a medical service your doctor tried to obtain for you.    
5.  Your physician will have the freedom to serve you with the highest standards of the medical profession.
5 pros to 4 cons - join us  -  Call 919-493-9405 for information.