How Moore’s Nemesis Found Insurance
If you’ve seen Michael Moore’s “Sicko,” you’re probably familiar with the story of Jim Kenefick. Jim runs the anti-Moore site MooreWatch.com, and last year ran into financial trouble over his wife’s health. As Moore puts it in “Sicko”: "He was faced with a choice of either keep attacking me, or pay for his wife's health. Fortunately, he chose his wife.”
Kenefick had posted requests for donations to help cover skyrocketing health-care expenditures for his wife, who had been turned down for insurance because of a pre-existing condition. Then, an anonymous donor gave him $12,000. It turns out the donor was Moore, who used Kenefick’s predicament as an example of the health care crisis that’s gripping America.
What wasn't covered in Moore's documentary was the end of Kenefick's health insurance odyssey. Kenefick did eventually get insurance for himself and his wife – and his success had nothing to do with Moore’s donation. Although he had been unable to get it on his own, he secured the help of a licensed health insurance agent, and was able to qualify his wife for a plan.
"A year later, I went to a broker to find out what the legal requirements were to do the Anthem plan the right and legal way,” he said. Eventually, he secured a health plan with Anthem. “And we're still with that plan, and pretty happy with it,” he told Vimo.
No big surprise there. Using an agent makes the process of finding a health plan much, much easier, especially if you or someone you love isn’t in good health. In an article in the L.A. Times, writer Kathy Kristof described how she shopped for health insurance policies at Vimo. Once she spoke to an agent, she learned some helpful ways to get insurance. “For instance, one agent raised the possibility of getting a policy through a small-business group plan that he sold, which would eliminate the need for a physical exam. (If you aren't in good health, that's a good option that didn't show up on the websites.)”
In short, if you seem to be having trouble getting insurance on your own, talk to an agent.
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Posted on Tuesday, July 10th, 2007 at 2:03 pm. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below. Your comments will appear immediately, but the author reserves the right to delete innapropriate comments.
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
I think it’s sad that Kenefick didn’t acknowledge Moore’s help and acknowledge that Moore is right!! Health care is a problem that cannot be adequately resolved by the free enterprise system alone. And healthcare is a right, not a privelege. To say that the “system” meaning the free enterprise system is the solution to all problems is the most rediculouse concept one can believe in. Some problems are social, some are not. That’a why we have taxes! I believe in insurance, which is nothing more than a social program ran by the free enterprise system. Taxes are a social program ran by the government. Either way health care is a social problem that needs a social fix. People over the age of 65 enjoy a fix that is resolved by both the government, Medicare and the free enterprise system, medicare supplement. Wise up america. Michael is doing us a favor by bringing the hard reality to the american people. Extend medicare to everyone and then allow the free enterprise system to sell supplements.
Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 8:45 am
When making any suggestions for change one must keep these things in mind:
(1) Government is extremely inefficient,
(2) Corporations are efficient but not necessarily ethical,
(3) Incentives need to be in place so people pay somewhat for poor choices regarding their own health.
Much of the problems that I see are a result of a poor legal system which seems to reward the large health insurance companies for behaving unethically and, at the same time, increases costs tremendously for doctors as they fear being sued.
Before we can really fix the healthcare system we must also look at he legal system.