NY health insurance law: No mandate, no banning for preexisting conditions --

[pnwmom]

and this combination has resulted in the highest insurance rates in the nation, and fewer people insured than before the law went into effect.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/michael-jackson/sc-dc-health-insurance-20100219,1,7272127.story

Spurred by heart-wrenching stories of sick people denied health coverage, the state of New York did what many of President Obama's critics say he should do now. It passed a relatively simple law banning what troubles many consumers most – insurance companies denying coverage to people who are sick.

Other states have taken similar steps, making narrowly targeted changes instead of trying to overhaul the whole healthcare system.

But two decades after New York acted, the state's experience offers a cautionary tale: Making isolated changes to the complex medical insurance system can have unintended and unwelcome consequences.

Premiums in New York are now the highest in the nation by some measures, with the average individual health plan selling for around $9,000 a year. And nearly one in seven New Yorkers still lacks health coverage, a greater percentage than when the law was passed.

The state has become a victim of a dangerous dynamic in insurance markets. Laws making it possible to buy insurance only when consumers got sick often saddle companies with a lot of high-cost customers.

SNIP

[Igel]

1. "Unintended" and "unwelcome" does not mean "unforeseen". n/t