On a whirlwind trip to a few of No Insurance Club’s Arizona doctors, I began to understand the importance of what this Club offers. You see, I’ll be honest. I’m new to the health industry field. And, though I monitor health care news every second of every day, and am constantly expanding my knowledge, it took a trip to a few of our doctors before I truly grasped why the No Insurance Club could be the best solution for so many people.
In this depressing state that our economy finds itself, there are so many hard-working individuals who have lost their jobs and thus their health insurance. So, left with the impression that Cobra is their only option they take it.
“COBRA health coverage is great in theory and lousy in reality,” said Ron Pollack, executive director of health insurance reform advocacy group Families USA, based in Washington, D.C., according to the LA Times.
In this article, the LA Times reports that Cobra “eats up 30% of unemployment benefits for individual coverage and almost 84% for family coverage.” That is unimaginable for families and singles that have just lost their job, and have used up their savings to be able to stay in their homes and keep food on the table. The LA Times article goes on to say that Cobra costs can run a family over $1,000 a month! 
When I went to speak with our No Insurance Club doctors about their experiences with Cobra and other insurance programs, they had a lot to say that really opened my eyes. Families can’t afford Cobra! I always had just assumed the Cobra was what everyone used as an in-between insurance until your new employer’s insurance kicked in. I thought it was a government program that was meant to help America’s hard-working families. I was wrong.
On top of the high cost of Cobra, respectable family physicians have to fight Cobra for every penny. It seems to be a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. My favorite family doc has to fight every insurance company to get paid.
I was also told by more than a few doctors that insurance companies will only pay 80 percent of what the doctor has charged. So, in reality, my favorite family doc never gets paid the full amount that he is owed. I didn’t even know that was legal.
So, we’ve got Cobra charging the unemployed an arm-and-a-leg so that they can keep some form of insurance, and doctors who are not receiving payment for their work. Does that make any sense to anyone?
It was then that I realized how important the No Insurance Club is for so many people. With no premiums, no copayments, and some compassionate doctors, the No Insurance Club is the solution.
