I informed my insurance company of my new address. I didn’t expect any problems, I stayed inside the state after all. Well, today I got a letter informing me that I have moved outside of their coverage area. What is their coverage area? According to the letter they sent me, it is, “… (the state of) Virginia, excluding the city of Fairfax, the town of Vienna, and the area east of Route 123.” WTF? How arbitrary is that? I am being directed towards another blue cross organization to continue my coverage.
This is exactly the kind of nonsense that helps keep costs high. It’s bad enough that insurance companies can’t compete across stat lines, but inside a state? Really? What is the possible benefit to me of limiting me to certain companies? The answer of course is that there isn’t one. I’m sure that what is happening is that there are benefits that are mandated in this area that my previous company didn’t want to offer. Even though I am guaranteed coverage with the new company and I don’t need to undergo an exam, I am willing to bet that the new coverage will be more expensive than my previous one. Grrrrr…
Why is our insurance market like this? Better yet, why is the federal government trying to fix problems without addressing this one? Why don’t the feds actually use the commerce clause the way it was intended and make the market for insurance like any other market? The answer is money of course, insurance companies will fight that move tooth and nail. The current legislation is going to pad their pockets even more. Free us from this disjointed and idiotic system!!!!!