Myrtle Beach area residents welcome health care changes with reservations

Mar 23, 2010 — The Sun News

Jake Spring

Mar. 23, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Those following the hurry-up-and-wait federal health care battle should be prepared for more of the same as changes slowly trickle down to those who are actually buying insurance.

The sweeping reform bill passed the House of Representatives Sunday night, and President Obama is expected to sign it into law today.

It may be months, or years, until those along the Grand Strand see major differences in health care, because many of the provisions won't take effect until 2014. The uncertainty of how the legislation will affect health care costs has left many business owners, insurance brokers, experts and other locals eyeing the bottom line.

"It is a great idea that we provide health insurance to all those that need it," said Tim Baxley, president and CEO of Statewide Insurance Group. "I don't like the idea of how it will be paid for. I don't see any way around tax increases."

Baxley said that for the moment, his South Carolina-based company is operating the same as it was before the passage of the bill. He's waiting for new guidelines from large insurance carriers who underwrite his policies such as United Healthcare and BlueCross BlueShield, although he has no idea when that might happen, he said.

Particularly for people with pre-existing conditions, Baxley said he is concerned that the insurance made available to them will be prohibitively expensive. South Carolina's public high-risk insurance pool can have premiums well over $1,500 a month, he said.

Health care costs will continue to rise, but the bill will slow the rise of premiums, said Mark Tompkins, a political science professor at the University of South Carolina. Those who are high-risk and have pre-existing conditions will see more reasonable costs as they are folded into larger insurance pools.

More than anything, the health care bill will correct the imbalance in who pays for health care, he said. Those who have health insurance have long been paying higher premiums than necessary to make up for the financial loss of treatment given to the uninsured. The bill will make the uninsured find coverage so they are no longer a burden on the system, he said.

Starbucks barista Jamie Sessions said he made the decision to go without insurance, willing to take on the risk of getting sick.

"I don't really believe in the idea of forcing people to have insurance," the 23-year-old said.

Although he could get health insurance through his job, he said that it's not a priority since he's young and healthy. The insurance industry has become "a monopoly," and the legislation doesn't go far enough in changing it.

"I think the Democrats made a lot of compromises. ... The idea is that some form of legislation is better than no legislation," he said.

Restaurant owner Alice Edelman employs about 30 part-time workers and does not provide insurance, she said. She thinks health care costs will cripple her business if she needs to provide or otherwise pay for insurance for her employees.

Edelman said she understands that everyone wants insurance, but as a small business owner, she said she would be unable to justify hiring people who had pre-existing conditions.

"If you have a business, you're not going to say, 'yeah, come in, let me pay your expenses,'" she said.

Regardless of the impact of the bill, some said the health care debate highlighted the negative attitude of Washington politicians.

"I know the party matters; it doesn't seem like the people matter," said Fred Castiglione, a retired engineer who now works as a home inspector. "It's always about me and don't worry about anyone else."

Castiglione saw his insurance premium go up to three or four times the amount he paid before retiring. The 58-year-old Aynor resident said he wants to see the bill will help curb costs.

John Cane, 51, lost his job and is now working part-time at a Broadway at the Beach retailer without health benefits. There has been so much back and forth in health care that he no longer knows what to expect, he said, but he isn't optimistic.

"If you're going to have health care, do it like Canada," Cane said. "As long as you have insurance companies in it, you're not going to have good legislation because politicians are too easy to buy."

Al Marzouqi, owner of several retail businesses at Broadway, also said the U.S. falls short of other countries when it comes to health care. Marzouqi grew up in Dubai, where there is considerably more government support, he said.

"If you get sick, there's a private hospital, but the government is there if you need them," he said.

The health care reform bill is exactly the political change he's been waiting for, he said. Health care costs have been a source of worry for many of his employees and his own family. His grandfather recently passed away after being taken to the hospital in an ambulance, he said.

"My grandfather's last words were, 'What is this, how much is it going to cost?'"

Contact JAKE SPRING at 626-0310.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0119-43141495