Alaska Health Policy Review

This study was completed last year, but I was compelled to post it because it is so important in the current environment.  ~~ldw

Key Findings

In the vast majority of states, insurance companies are permitted to reject individuals for coverage based on their health status, occupation, or even their recreational activities.

• Only five states prohibit all insurance companies from cherry-picking the healthiest consumers and excluding everyone else.

If an insurance company does accept an individual’s application for coverage, few states significantly limit how much an insurer can increase an individual’s premiums based on what the insurer deems to be health risks (which can include anything from cold sores to hobbies to below average height).

• In 35 states and the District of Columbia, there are no limits on how much insurers can vary premiums based on health status. An additional six states have limits that still allow dramatic variations in premiums.

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Filed under: Insurance related

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center analyzed data from more than 23 million children’s hospitalizations in 37 states from 1988 to 2005. Compared with insured children, uninsured children faced a 60 percent increased risk of dying, the researchers found.

The authors estimated that at least 1,000 hospitalized children died each year simply because they lacked insurance, accounting for 16,787 of some 38,649 children’s deaths nationwide during the period analyzed.

See the full NYT article online.

Filed under: Insurance related