[PineysConfections]

Good morning all. I have wanted to start a health insurance discussion for several months and am taking this morning to do it. Many of the people who I serve do NOT have health insurance. That translates into many of the people who I serve who are either suffering from acute or chronic health conditions are NOT insured. Many live on a fixed income and can barely afford their meds or decent healthcare. Frankly, many live without their life sustaining medications and never go and see the doctor. Often, this can turn from a small cold or sore throat into a life threatening event. I've seen it all too often when one of my clients drops off the face of the earth only to be found warehoused at the local county hospital suffering needlessly.

It has always been my policy that I provide free services to the terminally ill, patients referred by hospice and initial chemo patients. I would like to provide free medicated food items and meals to many of my clients, but I simply cannot. Often they will have to choose between quality of life and sustaining of life.

In any event, this has made me think. I have health insurance through my husband's work. He is currently considering a job change and that would mean we would have to purchase our own health insurance. At a minimum of $700+ per months, it seems to be almost cost prohibitive. I was advised that if we belonged to a group, then we could most certainly get group rates and that is what really got me thinking. I know from many of my conversations that many in the Weedtracker community do not have health insurance. I also know that many employees of Collectives do not have health insurance. I would like to call together the owners of collectives and those individuals out there who are interested in taking a look at the possibility of us forming a group which could then participate in an affordable health insurance plan. This would mean that those of you with PRE-EXISTING health conditions and are not insured could finally find some relief and get health insurance. This would mean that those of you with families could find some relief in that your entire family would be covered in the event of a catatrophic illness or accident. This would mean that those of you youngsters who work at collectives or other jobs where there are minimal benefits could have health insurance at a reasonable cost.

You might ask why would I even attempt this endeavor. After all, we have Medicare, MediCal, etc. for those who cannot afford private health insurance. Group health coverage would afford you the ability to choose your own doctor instead of one which was designated for you. It would afford you the ability to visit a private doctor's office at an appointed time instead of having to travel a distance and wait in line at a clinic. With health insurance you would no longer have to go to the ER and wait for hours to be seen for a cold or flu or broken bone. People with pre-existing health conditions in a group health plan would no longer have to wait months and often years to be covered.

In any event, I invite collective owners and individuals alike to respond to this thread and if there is enough interest, I'll start this movement. Looking forward to hearing from you and listening to your comments and thoughts.

[windsor74]

I would be very interested in group coverage and think that this is a great idea.
My cal COBRA ends fairly soon and since I have a pre-existing condition the rates I'll likely be quoted will be basically unaffordable.
Please let me know if I can help in this endeavor.

[thatgirljk]

Wow if this gets goin sign me up! What a great idea, my employer recently pulled our plan right after my probation period was up and 'the sick girl' was eligible for amazing healthcare coverage! Grr only reason why I took the friigin job! Sorry had to vent! Glad to hear this could be a poss, definetly interested!

[BrattonBasher]

Health Insurance companies define group in a way that benefits them. They do not just allow folks to form common interest groups and get group insurance. They will seek employment records and the like.

Health Insurance companies define group in a way that benefits them. They do not just allow folks to form common interest groups and get group insurance. They will seek employment records and the like.

Especially a group that insurance companies would consider high risk (people with illnesses).

[otisblue]

Health Care is a right! Support President Obama's plan. Although not perfect, the plan is a great place to start. 43 million uninsured in the USA is criminal.

[BrattonBasher]

Originally Posted by otisblue

Health Care is a right! Support President Obama's plan. Although not perfect, the plan is a great place to start. 43 million uninsured in the USA is criminal.

I might support it if Obama was not trying to shove this down peoples throats, and if it was not a thousand-plus pages long. The way Obama is handling this is terrible. He is allowing all the pundits to CORRECTLY point out that this is a rush-job, and I and others can't counter or debate this because we truly don't know shit about it. I can't support what I don't know, and Obama is making no effort to help people understand.

[PineysConfections]

I've already begun my research and have found out that we can qualify.

For example, I currently belong to two professional associations. As a member of both of these associations I qualify to participate in their group health insurance. What the difference is here is that I pay an annual fee to belong to these associations. Some sort of formal group would have to be formed - say, the Weedtrackers Patients Associations and we would have to pay annual dues of say $1.00 each to maintain our membership. That money could be put in trust and managed by a third party - hopefully someone who would offer their services free of charge such as an attorney who would like to receive good will for this pro bono service or, the Association would vote on and/or appoint a President and Board of Directors who would manage the funds. Once again, these funds would be nonminal if the membership fee is so small.

We would have to have an annual meeting - that wouldn't be difficult and we would have to have rules and regulations and a common bond - that again, would not be difficult. The private healthcare would not be cheap for those who would want gold standard healthcare, but for the most part, a group can get much better prices than individuals and I doubt that any of the members are interested in gold standard.

Questions regarding Patients and/or pre-existing health conditions are valid; however, you must realize that for the majority of MMJ users, the use of medicinal MMJ is the only medicine they receive and that would not be covered by the insurance. That being said, the condition which needs monitoring would be covered as that is the very foundation upon why group health plans are so valuable. Theoretically, the client base is big enough and healthy enough to sustain the members who need catastrophic healthcare or meeting the needs for those members who are chronically or acutely ill. Granted, we Baby Boomers are the ones who will be needing the most healthcare in the coming years as we grow older, but the incoming funding from the younger members will sustain that.

In any event, I will continue researching and looking into this. This is purely voluntary and I invite your criticism, skepticism and comments and suggestions. This helps me figure out the stumbling blocks I will no doubt encounter.

And, all this being said, I would be joyous if President Obama's health plan made this idea of mine obsolete. As a matter of fact, I hope it does; however, until that day comes, this is something that I know weighs heavily on the minds of many. Thanks for your time.

[BrattonBasher]

Originally Posted by PineysConfections

I've already begun my research and have found out that we can qualify.

For example, I currently belong to two professional associations. As a member of both of these associations I qualify to participate in their group health insurance. What the difference is here is that I pay an annual fee to belong to these associations. Some sort of formal group would have to be formed - say, the Weedtrackers Patients Associations and we would have to pay annual dues of say $1.00 each to maintain our membership. That money could be put in trust and managed by a third party - hopefully someone who would offer their services free of charge such as an attorney who would like to receive good will for this pro bono service or, the Association would vote on and/or appoint a President and Board of Directors who would manage the funds. Once again, these funds would be nonminal if the membership fee is so small.

We would have to have an annual meeting - that wouldn't be difficult and we would have to have rules and regulations and a common bond - that again, would not be difficult. The private healthcare would not be cheap for those who would want gold standard healthcare, but for the most part, a group can get much better prices than individuals and I doubt that any of the members are interested in gold standard.

Questions regarding Patients and/or pre-existing health conditions are valid; however, you must realize that for the majority of MMJ users, the use of medicinal MMJ is the only medicine they receive and that would not be covered by the insurance. That being said, the condition which needs monitoring would be covered as that is the very foundation upon why group health plans are so valuable. Theoretically, the client base is big enough and healthy enough to sustain the members who need catastrophic healthcare or meeting the needs for those members who are chronically or acutely ill. Granted, we Baby Boomers are the ones who will be needing the most healthcare in the coming years as we grow older, but the incoming funding from the younger members will sustain that.

In any event, I will continue researching and looking into this. This is purely voluntary and I invite your criticism, skepticism and comments and suggestions. This helps me figure out the stumbling blocks I will no doubt encounter.

And, all this being said, I would be joyous if President Obama's health plan made this idea of mine obsolete. As a matter of fact, I hope it does; however, until that day comes, this is something that I know weighs heavily on the minds of many. Thanks for your time.

Good luck trying to get an insurance company to accept MMJ patients as a group. That is going to be an uphill battle.

And if you have read the thousand-plus pages of Obamas plan, please educate those of us who don't have the time to do that.

[PineysConfections]

Originally Posted by BrattonBasher

Good luck trying to get an insurance company to accept MMJ patients as a group. That is going to be an uphill battle.

And if you have read the thousand-plus pages of Obamas plan, please educate those of us who don't have the time to do that.

BB - uphill battle is my middle name. It just seems to me that if it is possible, I should be able to find a way. Maybe I'm blowing smoke up my own skirt, but it's worth a try. You never know, I just may be that one who is successful. And, if I'm not, a custom Piney Cake to you and you can say you told me so. Give me a few weeks and we'll see.

As far as Obama's plan - no, I have not read Obama's plan, but I have read the notes on it. While I do not purport to be an expert on the subject, at least it's a start. The one thing I do know is that ever since I have paid attention to politics from back in my college days, virtually every administration has attempted some sort of universal health plan coverage and failed miserably. I don't have the answers for this country, but I am optimistic, but I am also a realist which is why it seems to me that a small group of people is worth my energy and waiting for what could only be air castles in the form of Obama's universal coverage is probably not.

Cheers to you BB - I enjoy the sparring.

[stanley]

Insurance companies are in business to make money.

Group policies are priced based on actuarial tables that pretty accurately predict the "illness" rates (thus the $$ amount an insurance company has to pay out), these tables are based on age, race, gender, social class, income range--any data the insurance companies can compile.

The insurance companies rely on more folks paying into a group policy than folks receiving benefits... its how they make a profit. Most group policies that folks get thru their employers are paid for by both the employees AND the employer...so the price an employee pays monthly is usually only a small part of the actual premium.

They then set their prices and "covered items" to assure that profit.

If you take a group of MMJ patients, who by definition are 100% already diagnosed with serious diseases... the group premium might have to be very high.

With no employer subsidies, and an insured group that was 100% seeking pay outs, I am afraid that there might not be much to attract an insurance company to offer coverage.

[Bemysnugglemate]

This will be an interesting Thread to watch evolve....

[Litfox]

Sounds like a great idea. It would be fabulous to have an affordable option that would benefit everyone. Thanks for thinking outside the box!

[BrattonBasher]

There is no such thing as affordable health insurance.