Throughout all this health reform debate, the one thing I come back to is the situation found in the movie, "John Q". Grant, the movie wasn't based on any real-life event, but it did illustrate very well the need for reforming health care particularly in catastrophic situations, i.e., transplant patients and the under-insured.
Unless you keep up with your health care plan each year, most people really don't know what's in their insurance policy - or what's not. For example, most health insurance policies don't cover catastrophic illnesses like cancer or a brain tumor. And while most do cover emergency room care, many don't cover extended hospital stays. So, if you find yourself in a situation similar to what this man did in this
story from the New York Times, you could be SOL in receiving the proper treatment for your medical diagnosis.
This is why I support health care reform legistlation, particularly the aspect where "all health insurance policies would provide equal benefits" (for the most part) under the law. Because right now, we just don't have a uniform system of benefits and coverage. Right now, your health care benefits and coverage are whatever is negotiated between the insurance lobby groups, the unions (if you're a member), your employer and the insurance company. And the terms can be changed - or in some cases dropped - at any moment.
