Main Street

Health policy or phone book?

by Stefan Gravener—Pennsylvania

Last week I was talking to an elderly man, and during a conversation about our health care crisis, he invited me into his home. It was a modest row-home in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He was retired, he had worked hard during his life, but he had a huge problem. He had recently received a package from his health insurance company “detailing” his new health care policy. It was three inches thick. Accompanying it were a few other pieces of mail, all from his health insurance company.

He picked up the Goliath of a packet and said, “I don’t understand any of this.” He slammed the girthy package down on his coffee table; the table now wishing it was retired. He signed up as a member, after which he pointed to his wall. He had received an award for fighting to protect Social Security and Medicare from an organization I forget.

Although this man is fighting the good fight, he has to spend his retired days reading books by his health insurance company, which to him is a book with a bad ending.

Tags: Health Care, insurance, membership, retirees, seniors