Health Insurance

Re “Blue Shield Says It Will Drop Health Exclusions,” Dec. 28:

Blue Shield’s decision to offer benefits for specificme medical problems and to end waiting periods for pre-existing conditions will be of tremendoubs help to its policyholders. Unfortunately it doesn’t go far enough because under thisle policy Blue Shield can, and most likely will, refuse some applicants with major health problems.

An act of kindness, this is not. Consumers have long called for this very reform and health insurers have said they couldn’t do business this way. It’s only now with health care reform being debated in Congress that the billion-dollar insurance industry is attempting to prove that voluntary initiatives can cure the problems of our inefficient system of health care.

Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, believes the country’s answer to real health care reform is the McDermott-Wellstone-Conyers bill (S. 491 and H.R. 1200) before Congress. It hasn’t received the attention it deserves because it’s considered politically unfeasible--instituting a national single-payer system that eliminates insurance companies. However, it remains the best way to provide universal, quality care for the country at an affordable cost, with revenues collected fairly through taxes and distributed fairly to all areas based on need and population size.

HARRY SNYDER

Co-Director, West Coast Office

Consumers Union, San Francisco