Cutting Corners

First Tennessee did it, now Washington (state) wants to copy. Seems the folks in the great northwest believe the way to more affordable health insurance is to limit what the plan pays.

It's OK to get cancer but make sure you are well or dead in 90 days or less.

A few years back, Tennessee put in place a somewhat similar plan with an even lower annual cap ($25,000). As of 2007, the premium was about $150 a month.

Washington and several other states are struggling to maintain existing health-insurance plans for low-income people who don’t qualify for Medicaid, USAToday reported earlier this week. A program in the state that covers about 65,000 people will close later this year unless lawmakers come up with $160 million in new funding, the article said.

Keep in mind that Medicaid does not impose annual or lifetime caps on your benefits.

So if you are going to be sick in Washington better make sure you are also poor.