Obamacare health insurance took a hit this week when the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that an amendment blocking the controversial health care overhaul can and will be on the ballot in November. Ohioans can now vote to exclude themselves from a federal law that would require the purchase of medical coverage plans.

ProgressOhio had claimed that many signatures on the original petition should not have counted. But the Ohio Court disagreed, after considering the allegations and reviewing more than 400,000 signatures.

Currently Ohio health insurance rates are among the lowest in the US. Inexpensive individual and family plans are available at rates that are generally 20%-50% less than many other states. Ohioquotes.com provides free comparison shopping to consumers, who can freely select the company and type of coverage they want. It’s likely that freedom will be ending if national health care reform, in its present format, is fully enacted in 2014.

Jo Jingles of Reuters wrote an excellent article providing additional information. Here it is.

http://www.ohioquotes.com

Health care reform is one of the Ohio’s most contentious issues. President Obama wants government-sponsored health care, hoping costs will reduce. Insurers and doctors are concerned that patients will have fewer choices under Obama’s plan. Drug companies fear that quality of our health care will reduce. Consumers don’t want to be forced to buy plans they don’t want.

Sometimes it’s hard to determine the difference between myth and fact. One common myth is that Ohio consumers overwhelmingly want to see the current health care system changed. But that’s not true since recent polls indicate roughly half of Ohioans and the US population want to maintain the current system. While the current way is not perfect, perhaps it should be tweaked instead of overhauled.

Liz Peek wrote a very interesting article about Obama’s five “Health Care Myths.” I don’t necessarily agree with all of her assertions, but there are some very valid points she raises. If you’re concerned about Ohio health care, you’ll be interested in reading this article.

You can read the article in its entirety here.

True Ohio health care reform centers on the four “pillars” of patients’ rights. Choice, competition, accountability and personal responsibility. A patient must have the right to choose their own doctor, and must protect a consumer’s right to choose the health insurance that best fits their needs and budget.

“Conservatives For Patients Rights” (CPR) recently reviewed 16 plans that have been discussed, written about or offered up as legislation. Which plans are too costly? Which plans promote competition within the healthcare industry?

You can read about and compare the different plans here.

A national health care system may allow individuals to avoid paying for their health insurance. But the cost of health care will not reduce. In fact, it may actually increase. I’m not a big advocate of government-sponsored health care. I believe a combination of increased utilization of Health Savings Accounts, mandated (required) health care for everyone, increased tax credits and mandatory preventative visits will solve our problems.

James F. Pontuso, Charles Patterson Professor of Government & Foreign Affairs at Hampden-Sydney College, offers some very astute views…

The reason health care costs have risen is not because of waste, neglect, incompetence, or greed, but rather because medical care has become so much better.

Proponents of national health care insist that there will be reductions in administrative health-care costs. It is true that there are savings because of economies of scale, but has anyone ever seen a big government program administered efficiently?  Big government programs are almost always more expensive than expected exactly because bigness breeds inefficiency. A national health-care system in the U.S. may create the largest bureaucracy in the history of the world.

We could also reduce health care by capping the compensation for doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals. But we have to wonder whether the nursing shortage in the U.S. would get worse if nurses’ pay were lowered. As for my cardiologist, she loves medicine and she might have pursued her career even if it took her longer to pay off her debts. I know she is talented enough to succeed in most any profession she entered. Like most people who are really good at what they do, she wants to be compensated for all her hard work, dedication, long hours, and expert skill – such, after all, is the American dream.

The cost of national health care will be high either because good health care is expensive or because inexpensive health care will not be good. This is the issue which we face.

The full article can be found here!

If you currently have an Ohio health insurance policy, then you probably pay a “copay” on your office visit coverage.  The “copay” is the dollar amount you must pay for your covered office visit. Normally, copays range from $15-$40.

If your doctor does not participate in your Ohio health insurance plan, your out-of-pocket expense will be higher.

The good folks at Humana have put together a video that provides a bit more insight to this topic. I promise…the video is quite informative and pleasantly brief.