New Year’s Resolutions From Fox News: Gamble With Your Life And Bankrupt Your Heirs

From the day that health insurance reform was proposed by President Obama and the Democratic congress, Fox News has been fiercely opposed to any change in the system that had been failing so miserably for decades. Conservatives were united in support of policies that left millions of Americans uninsured while making millions of dollars for insurance companies (and the GOP politicians who backed them).

Since ObamaCare was implemented, Fox News has worked tirelessly attempting to persuade people to refuse to participate in the program. It’s a mission that seeks to cause ObamaCare to fail. Fox has feverishly rolled out blatant scare tactics aimed at keeping citizens from taking advantage of the improved access to medical care and the lower costs that the ACA provides. And as the year comes to a close, Fox News is augmenting their fear mongering with dreadfully bad advice that, if followed, will cause certain harm and suffering.

Fox Nation

The article, “Eight Ways to Opt Out of ObamaCare,” was published on the Fox News community website and lie factory, Fox Nation (see the acclaimed ebook Fox Nation vs. Reality for more than 50 documented examples of proven lies). It was a reposting of an item from the disreputable rightist hacks at Breitbart News who have been Fox’s partner in falsely smearing ObamaCare and all things liberal. Below are the actual tips offered by the FoxPods and BreitBrats to convince people that not having legitimate, dependable health insurance is a good idea.

1. Join a health care sharing ministry

These “clubs” are set up as charitable organizations wherein people are reimbursed for their health care costs by the other members of the collective. But in order to join, applicants must first pledge their Christian faith and promise not to drink, take drugs or have sex outside of a traditional marriage. Some even require a reference from a minister. Clearly, this is not an option for most people. Furthermore, those with preexisting conditions are not accepted for membership. The coverage also doesn’t include “products of un-Biblical lifestyles,” such as contraception or substance rehab, or some preventive medicine, including colonoscopies and annual mammograms. The clubs are are not obligated to reimburse anyone for anything and there is no regulatory oversight that protects the consumer.

2. Purchase a short-term health insurance policy

Short term health insurance policies provide coverage for a period of six months or less. They are intended for use between jobs or other temporary lapses in insurance coverage. They are not renewable, but you can purchase another after one expires. However, any condition that was being treated while one policy was in effect is exempted from coverage by subsequent policies. Short term health insurance policies are generally intended to only cover major medical expenses. In addition to excluding coverage for preexisting conditions, such policies generally exclude coverage for services like preventive treatment (e.g. routine physical exams and immunizations), pregnancy or childbirth.

3. Buy alternative insurance plans such as fixed-benefit, critical illness, or accident insurance

Fixed-benefit plans are described by Consumer Reports as “Stingy plans [that] may be worse than none at all.” These plans will reimburse you a fixed amount for a specified illness. It is usually far less than necessary to cover the services, and you’re responsible for the remainder. Illnesses not specified are not covered at all. Critical illness and accident insurance are similarly narrow and often do not cover common medical conditions. Included in this tip is a laughable suggestion to increase the accident coverage of your auto insurance policy as a alternative to real health insurance.

4. Visit cash-only doctors and retail health clinics

Cash-only doctors and retail health clinics provide only basic services that can be performed in the doctor’s office. Any more serious treatment like surgery, or services that require more sophisticated hospital equipment like MRI’s, must be paid for separately. Consequently, the most expensive types of care are not covered at all.

5. Sign up for a telemedicine service

Telemedicine is a great leap forward as a tool for providing a service in conjunction with conventional doctor’s care. However, it is wholly insufficient as a replacement for insurance. It basically gives a patient the opportunity to talk to doctor, but no actual treatment is covered. Costs for anything from a vaccination to open-heart surgery would be born by the patient alone.

6. Use generic prescription drugs whenever possible, and compare prices between pharmacies

This is prudent advice for any patient but, once again, it does not in any way replace health insurance. It doesn’t even provide the pharmaceutical benefits of a legitimate health care plan that can provide drugs for small co-pays of a few dollars.

7. For surgery find a facility that offers up-front “package” prices for self-pay patients

This is essentially a suggestion to shop around for cheap surgeons after you have already determined a need (and it does not address how that medical determination was arrived at or paid for). It does not guarantee that the costs will be affordable, even if they are less costly than the average doctor. And while comparison shopping for a Sony HDTV might save you a few bucks, is anyone really comfortable with having a heart bypass performed by the guy who offers to do it for the lowest price? Paging Dr. Nick.

8. When a hospital visit becomes necessary, work with a medical bill negotiation service

This advice can lower the cost of hospital services, but there is no promise that the fees will be reduced to an amount that is manageable for people with limited resources. For instance, your $50,000 cancer treatment might be reduced to $35,000, which is fine if you have $35,000 laying around. If not, you will wish you had insurance.

Every one of these tips are misleading and dangerous. They could result in people being unable to get necessary medical care and/or thrown into bankruptcy. For Fox News to offer them as suitable alternatives to health insurance is irresponsible and potentially tragic. The well-to-do pundits and editors at Fox won’t be the ones to suffer from this extremely bad advice, yet they knowingly put others at risk. And it’s especially offensive when the program that Fox is steering people away from is one that actually provides comprehensive care for more people, at lower cost, than anything that has been available in the past.

Health care is something that every citizen is going to require at one time or another, without exception. And while ObamaCare is not perfect, it is a step in the right direction. The more people who enroll, the more efficiently costs can be controlled and reduced. And of course, the fewer illnesses and injuries that go untreated. These are apparently goals that Fox News and the Republican/Tea Party right-wing oppose, hence this list of resolutions that can only make the new year a nightmare for those foolish enough to adopt them.

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11 thoughts on “New Year’s Resolutions From Fox News: Gamble With Your Life And Bankrupt Your Heirs

  1. Yesterday I heard Charles Payne, filling in for Cavuto, say that some of the new Obama-care exchanges were just putting people in HMO’s. He meant it in a derogatory way yesterday, which would likely come as a surprise to the Charles Payne of the last several years who called for individuals to join HMO’s in order to lower there costs!
    If President Obama called for lower taxes and the elimination of so-called Corporate taxes, the Republicans would vilify him and vote it down!
    It’s still weird to watch them vote against there own Bills when the President goes along with them.

  2. The reason that many of the hosts on Fox News and all conservatives have been ripping into the ACA is very simple: The ACA is an unmitigated disaster. Obamacare is not a step in the right direction, unless you think the right direction takes you down a steep embankment with nothing but a pile of boulders waiting for you 1,000 feet below. Heck, even most people in the mainstream media are partially reporting what a train wreck this is. I guess they don’t want to wind up looking Ed Schultz or Paul Krugman.

    Bravo, Fox News. Keep fighting the good fight.

  3. If the ACA was nick-named McCain-care, Heritage-care, or Romney-care, the right-wing that is vilifying Obama-care would be celebrating the ACA. They’re only running from there own ideas for one reason…the black guy in the Whitehouse.
    That was my point.
    They were for it, before they were against it.

    • “…the black guy in the White House…”

      Lie. The fatal flaws of the ACA have been spelled out in detail. Furthermore, President Obama actually said in the 2nd debate that he likes the phrase “Obamacare”.

      Typical worthless response – scream “raaaaacism!” whenever people criticize President Obama. That tactic has collapsed.

      • Scott..”you lie”!!! And how do I know? Because my opinion is different than yours. See how that works?

        Good grief, man, grow up. We can have differences of opinion without the name calling, can’t we? Isn’t that what you keep telling Mark? Practice what you preach.

        As far as fatal flaws of the ACA is concerned, 2 million people, so far, would disagree. You know there will be more. So there’s a lot of evidence to dispute your “lie” assessment. Oh, they didn’t tell you that over at fox? Well of course not. They don’t want facts getting in the way of your indoctrination. And FYI, most people in the “mainstream media” aren’t reporting what a “train wreck” the ACA is. That sounds like a bonafide lie that fox is telling you to make you feel better or maybe you just made that up? The ACA IS a republican idea because it isn’t a gov’t take over of healthcare. It just happens to benefit both the insurance agencies (private sector) and the American citizen.

        And for those of us who haven’t drunk the koolaid, there is not much question that fox has been spiking upward in their bigotry. They haven’t met a minority they haven’t hated on. How do we know this? Check out the type of stories involving minorities they cover and the racists slant they seem to put on it these days. It’s more overt than ever before. (White Santa Claus and Jesus…the “knockout game” just to name the most recent). They’re not even ashamed of it. It sits well with their viewers. That’s why they do it. Is that what you identify with, Scott? You really want to be one of their viewers knowing they support bigoted viewpoints?

        I have no doubt that all the people on your side of the ledger are not racists. But there’s no denying that the overwhelming number of racists are on your side of the ledger.

        And further, there’s no doubt that the obstruction by those politicians on your side is fueled in part by their bigotry. How do we know this? Check the way they vote and you can see who is disproportionately hurt by their votes. Voter ID laws, anti-women legislation, homophobic video rants that keep showing up on the interwebs just to name a few. The working class, women and minorities are always the ones who suffer.

        • Every word you just burped onto the keyboard about bigotry and the ACA is a lie. And you know it. Fox News is not racist. And the ACA is a train wreck. It can’t and won’t succeed.

          • I take it Fox Noise pays you to post this nonsense?

            It is a fact that most of the ACA aka Obamacare was taken directly from Romney-care, which itself came straight out of the Heritage Foundation’s think tank.

            It is a fact that nearly every Republican politician and pundit has vilified the ACA complaining loudest about specific items that were added in order to appease the Republican politicians whose votes were needed to pass it. For example, the requirement to buy insurance, the mandate and penalty, came straight from the Heritage version and was strongly supported by the insurance companies right before they came out against it.

  4. Looks like they actually made a list of the reasons why you should sign up, otherwise you’d have to do that shit. It’s a list of the far, FAR shittier alternatives than getting actual health coverage, made easier and more practical for the consumer by this president that adopted a republican idea. What a fuckin nightmare, huh?

    Pseudo Politics-‘Yea it was my idea, but now I’m against it cause he’s for it and because hate does more for my side than merit does for theirs!’

  5. Every one of these tips are misleading and dangerous. They could result in people being unable to get necessary medical care and/or thrown into bankruptcy.

    GOOD! I, for one, WANT to see these right-wing idiots suffer and die!

    • CHILL!! I’d much rather see them persuaded to take their party back from batshit extremists. Wouldn’t that be better??

    • It puts two generations in peril. The millenials who can’t get decent jobs nevermind insurance. The baby boomers who are at retirement. If some horrendous accident happens to a millenial a boomer has to make the decision on the retirement they have worked their whole life for or paying to get their children the medical help they will desperately need to survive. Republicans suck, end of story.

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