“Insurance” is a misleading term. It implies that the individual who purchases an insurance policy is actually purchasing a form of security. The reality is that too often insurance is little more than an additional argument in a time of great need. I have long been convinced that if your initial impulse is to withhold information FROM rather than to INFORM the people that you pay to help you, then they are NOT helping you. Daily, I meet people who have insurance but drive mangled cars until they can pay for damages out of their pockets—simply because they can’t afford the rate increases. Many people risk living without car insurance because they can’t afford the mandatory minimums required by the states. Those same people live in constant fear of being charged with insurance fraud. How crazy is it that there are people who break their bones in accidents and choose to forego the hospital visit because they’re work doesn’t provide health insurance and they can’t afford the hospital bill, despite working full time? How crazy is it that numerous families choose the emergency room over a doctor’s visit because the emergency room will bill for the care they provide? Never mind the fact that their charges are often quadruple of what the doctor’s office would likely have charged. Katrina victims spend time in court fighting for compensation to no avail. Insurance companies deny renewal for people that are deemed “too healthy.” They also cancel long-standing policies for people diagnosed with fatal or medically intensive diseases. My family has been subjected to the absurd logic that medical insurance offers in place of doctor’s recommendations as an explanation for compensation and or approved medical procedures. Having insurance is not the saving grace it was intended to be. Though life is only remotely different for those of us who do not have health insurance, in the respect that we have NEVER felt secure. Myself, personally, I’ve not had the luxury of insurance for the majority of my adult life. I haven’t had a physical in ten years. Other expenses always take priority. In NY, an acquaintance was overcome by the flu for three weeks and couldn’t work. As a result, that person lost their apartment. She had no savings and she could not recover—another dream forfeited. One accident, one sickness, is all that separates myself and many Americans from absolute poverty. The false sense of security that insurance companies offer and the fact that many American’s cannot afford the rising costs of prescriptions and medical attention is simply unacceptable.

We must have national health care that includes and encourages preventative care while also accepting pre-existing conditions. Furthermore, national dental coverage would be a wonderful addition to this modern American society.

Increase the distance between congress and industry by raising the number of years that must pass once a congressperson no longer holds office before they can accept a job as a lobbyist. The revolving door between the world of Congress and the world of lobbyist is hurting the American public and must be controlled.

End the ability of Insurance companies to use credit ratings when determining customer policy rates.

Require Insurance Companies to accept a Doctor’s recommendation as the primary priority when assessing what is and isn’t necessary for each patient. We train doctors to protect the lives of our families and our workers. No one trains the pharmaceutical industry to protect life. Instead, they are hardwired to protect profit and profit alone. Human beings are not numbers and the Hippocratic Oath must mean something for doctors to hold any relevance in society.

American Insurance policy owners spend their hard-earned money to purchase protection for themselves and their families, it is high time that our lawmakers ensure that their money is not wasted and that their lives are protected.

For the sake of the people, promote the “Policyholders Bill of Rights” found at ican2000.com:

“Policyholders’ Bill of Rights

• ARTICLE ONE – - Right to Reasonable Underwriting

• ARTICLE TWO – - Right to Reasonable Premium

• ARTICLE THREE – - Right to Reasonable Recovery

• ARTICLE FOUR – - Right to Reasonable Enforcement

• ARTICLE FIVE – - Right to Insurer Accountability

Enact the “Insurance Industry Competition Act of 2007.” According to govtrack.us this legislation “Amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to make the Federal Trade Commission Act, as it relates to areas other than unfair methods of competition, applicable to the business of insurance to the extent that such business is not regulated by state law.” AND “Authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue joint statements of their antitrust enforcement policies regarding joint activities in the business of insurance.” Power to the people or bust! Government must provide the oversight it was elected to provide.