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MistressDaisy73 -> RE: Democrats eye universal health-care (7/10/2007 9:23:13 AM)
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Okey dokey.... here we go...
2 basic things... Why do we HAVE to have health insurance, and why does it all cost so much?
We (the US), as a country, ended up having to have insurance because in the 1960s the govt mandated that employers offer it, period. The need for insurance is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Forty years ago, most people could pay for most non-catastrophic health care out of pocket. But the government kept expanding the definition of "insurance" to cover more and more common ailments, driving the prices of those up during the sixties and seventies. They mandate it using "tax incentives"...the employer is given a tax break if he offers health insurance to his employees. Which means he is threatened with a tax penalty if he does not offer it. If the government says to me "you will only be taxed if you grow a garden in your front yard", it's described as an incentive, but it's actually a penalty in the opposite direction. The supply/demand curve of the marketplace includes the supply of money for a given service. If the "supply" increases, like by mandating insurance, then the price will naturally increase as well. Right now, we have just reached a pinnacle... kinda like the $3/gal of gas that folks are just not willing to pay, that make people wake up a little. And keep in mind, if employers did not have to keep offering more and more, at higher rates, more companies would still be thriving, and the insurnce costs would not be artificially inflated. (Kinda like the Federal Reserve deciding an economy is TOO healthy and diddling with the $, but that is another debate.)
Now another part of why it costs so much.... here ya go.. more govt involvement. (Who says we dont have Nationalized healthcare already?) The money the insurance companies pay would not come from "nowhere". If we forced them to pay three trillion dollars faster, they'd pass on that cost to the insured, in higher premiums. One of the main reasons health care costs are so high is that the customers aren't the ones paying. Insurance and government pay 95% of all health care bills, the actual customers paying 5%. This strips away the natural price regulation of the consumer, so that prices can literally be twenty times higher than they need to be. This is why a hospital might charge $10 for a single dose of tylenol, for example, that cost the hospital less than one penny. If we only paid five percent of our food bills, the twenty times greater supply of money would result in apples costing tens of dollars per pound, too. For those that pay at least part of their insurance premium, the premium is kinda like a savings account for the insurance company. When you actually are ill or injured, the money you pay each month, now goes toward the bills. But, what about those folks who arent ill or injured much, well their money pays for the ones who are catastrophically ill too. The same as your taxes pay for Medicare.
Imagine if the doctor wants to perform some test, which is pretty optional. Let's say you're willing to pay twenty bucks for the test, any more and it doesn't seem worthwhile. Because of insurance, this means the doctor may be able to charge $400 and still get you to accept the test, because your copay is $20. But when you are forced to pay your insurance, it's separated from the actual decisions around consuming health care. While you're deciding whether to get the $400 needless test, your insurance bill isn't factor in the decision, only the $20 copay. In fact, you're likely, as joe average, to say "hell, the insurance will cover it...I pay those bastards enough, I should get my money's worth". Ironically, the procedure may cost the doctor only ten bucks, but he's raised the price to meet the higher supply of money. This almost sounds like an arguement FOR Nationalized health care. But look at what happens. You will have even less attachment to the bill if the government takes it over. Like they do in Canada, you will simply walk in and accept any procedure the doctor suggests, or you can talk him into, without even a copay or thought of your insurance bill. The procedure will still cost money, the doctor will simply charge the government's single pay system and the amount he justifies charging it will go up and up there won't even be a five percent cap because of copays. And then the government will hit a point where it's unable to pay more...but it can't regulate the value of the procedures rationally, so it will simply ration them. In Canada, people literally die waiting for simple tests. This is not to say it always fails, obviously. But you have to think about the fact that some doctors will up prices, in their own interest, and some will not, having a conscience.
You go to a resturant and assume it is clean because of regulations. They often are not. You go to a resturant because of several recommendations that the place is clean and has good food, from friends, and you are much more likely to have a good experience. Use your own minds people. Use your eyes and ears. If, after you examine the things that matter to you, you still have opinions that differ, that is GREAT! Just make sure you are informed. Obviously not one person will have the complete picture and our natural tastes and feelings will make us see things differently, and I am ok with that. :)
M. Daisy
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