NEWS BLOG (WSAU) When health care reform came up for final congressional approval, no one who was casting a vote had actually read the entire bill. They only understood the broad outline of what was in it. No one has a grip on the fine print.

It’s the fine print that can hurt.

Consider this in an actual healthcare policy: “…will cover proper, medically approved, effective treatments for….”

I know someone with cancer. It’s an aggressive type with a high mortality rate. They underwent grueling chemotherapy two years ago. The cancer appeared to go into remission. Now, it is back. Back to the hospital for more chemo. In the middle of the chemo session, the hospital received a fax from the insurance company. Chemotherapy NOT covered. Read the fine print. The insurance company only covers effective treatment. The bean counters say the expensive chemotherapy - $5000 per treatment – isn’t effective, since the cancer came back. The patient is left to wonder if the hospital and the insurance will work it out on appeal… or if a year’s worth of savings from their kid’s college fund had just evaporated.

That’s fine print from an insurance policy…. Imagine the amount of fine print in the health care bill.

Governor Doyle announced yesterday that he’s setting up an Office of Healthcare Management. Think of this as an office of fine-print discovery. The news from this office will not be good, because so many of the hidden details will be negative.

Here’s some of the fine-print we already know about. Many of the new insurance regulations will cause premiums to go up. Insurance companies that face new restrictions on dropping customers and covering preexisting conditions will want to pass those costs along.

Businesses will also get bad news in the fine-print. Young adults of their employees will be added back onto their insurance policies. Part-time workers may have to be covered. Companies will face fines if they don’t offer the right coverage.

One thing I’m certain about…. When people get a letter from the Office of Healthcare Management, it probably isn’t good news.

Chris Conley
Operations Manager-Midwest Communications, Wausau
4.8.10