There’s a mess going on in California regarding the retroactive termination of insurance benefits well-covered by The Health Care Blog, so go there for the wonkery.
But what caught my attention was in the fine print of the post: “(FD I am a HealthNet individual policy holder and they haven’t “recivved” me yet. Then again I haven’t had a claim in 3 years!)”
A big push of consumer-directed health insurance and high deductible health plans is to get consumers involved in care decisions, more or less taking away the perception of free care that often arises when patients are well covered by traditional insurance policies. The ethics, along with the pros and cons, of this notion can debated later.
What struck me was the exclamation of pride of not having a claim in three years. I don’t want to spend any time in a clinic or hospital either, but when do no claims become a bad thing? Obviously we are not privy to the specifics of the individual policy, however, as some experts claim, HDHPs may prevent patients from seeking needed care.
My question is, will a period of no claims become a competition of pride amongst us? A boasting of sorts? Maybe. But is it a good thing?
Hi, I'm Drew Weilage. 