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Termyn8or -> Insurance a root cause of the problem ? (9/5/2009 9:44:13 PM)
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Take your thiniking cap off for a moment to consider the somewhat radical idea of another. One who grew up in a different environment and has had a different background (to say the least).
Thinking omnidirectionally, one concludes from given facts at times. Just to warn you it may take a bit to make my point, because so many are so far removed from this type of reasoning. I assert that insurance has caused the medical cost bubble. In a way it is a similar mechanism by which easy credit caused the real estate bubble. Just taking medical on is a big issue, let's start a bit smaller.
Walk into a new car dealership with a bunch of money in your pocket and a small hammer. Tell the salesman you want to do a little product testing and take the hammer and bust out a taillight lens. Then ask him how much that costs, you are ready to pay up, just say how much. Then tell him you don't want this car, why ? Because every time some idiot comes along who can't drive it might cost you or your insurance co that much. Make it known. Speak with your money. Let them send that up the flagpole. Many hundreds of dollars for a piece of plastic that costs pennies to make. You think some people don't know that ? The cost of that mold was likely amortized during the original production run, it is all free money for them. It's a racket.
Let's go into one aspect of healthcare to which I am qualified to speak. In the 1950s Bell labs invented the transistor, never got a patent and basically gave it to the world. Time went on and now your basic transistor costs about 12 cents. However if it goes int a CAT scanner it might cost more than $100. It is that, more than the complexity of the machine that makes it so expensive.
Now here we have another racket. We got this machine that cost 5 million, but should've cost perhaps $150,000, and scans cost a grand because of the fact that this machine is an investment. It doesn't matter how much you want to help people, some body has to pay for this big machine we got here. Logically that would be the people who benefit from it's use.
Now in a normally balanced capitalist economy, they could only charge so much. OK the machine was alot cheaper, but a CAT scan is only $150. That is all the traffic will bear. (has anyone other than me ever heard that phease ?). As such, engineers must stay within constraints. Operators must get it right the first time. Otherwise someone fails.
But along comes insurance and everything changes. Yes we have the $569.05 for your taillight lens, yes we have $2,450 for the CAT scan. Once it is made available, people will take it. This is the major problem.
Insurance, in a way, is nationalizing risk. But risk is usually taken volunarily. Would we be more careful if we were personally responsible for our follies, of all kinds ? Would we tend to learn more and be a better people if we weren'r so protected from ourselves ? I think so. Last time I had a serious discussion of these matters it was with people who are now dead. Did the idea of personal responsibility die with them ?
The old way got us here, but the new way seems to be pulling us down the drain. Is anyone out there prepared to offer anything in the way of a valid opinion ? Have you ever skinned your knee and had Mom say, you don't need a doctor for that ? But then when bitten by a dog she gets you right down there and has the dog picked up to chack for rabies. Personal decisions. We used to live by them, and indeed, die by them. Now it ain't so.
And that my friends is what may have been the root of alot of ills we incur today just by living, and being borne into such a society. This to me is precisely what seperated us from Europeans and so forth. We will keep our guns, we will do for our own, our family and chosen family. We will take our risks and when things go wrong we will not whine about it, we will just deal with it one way or another. We don't spread our risks among the whole society. Not to paraphrase Merc here, but it fits, insurance rewards failure in and of itself. Those who do not fuck up have to pay for those who do. (I will be waiting patiently for his entry here :-)
I know it is just about impossible to reverse the hands of time, and pull the new technology back with us. It is simply impossible. But would some return of one's rsponsibility for one's action being restored be a good thing.
It was almost like a joke to me, I would say "Make all seat belts, air bags, cushy bumpers and all that crap illegal. Instead put railroad ties in the doors, BIG energy avsorption on the rear bumper, but absolute solidity in the front of a car. Additionally put pointy things in the dashboard to kill the driver. Thus we have this situation, if someone hits you, they could die or be maimed, you are well protected. But if you are stupid and don't watch where youe are going and hit someone else, you die. In about two years ther would be no car wrecks.
When we are young, we are protected by our Parents from many dangers, we don't know any better. In time we are expected to learn. Now it seems that many want to still be protected. Little do they realize that if they infer the responsibility to protect to another, they also must give up some of their free will. To that I will never agree.
And I am self insured. If I run over a busload of nins guess who pays - ME. All I got would be gone. Medical ? I have been ill but am getting better and I did not spend a dime. I am beating it on my own. I have taken rsponsibility, to change my diet and way in such a way to have a positive effect. I did the research, I made the decisions and not only does it seem to be working, I have privvy now to knowledge no professional ever could, possibly what caused it. You see, we have determined, and I say we because it was discovered under my bed, that I was infected by black mold. Yes I know that shit kills people. Well it didn't kill me and in a couple of months I expect to be pretty much back together, except that I will have to start working out agian. Was about time anyway. Everything has changed, I adjusted the way I eat, party, everything. The difference is that I taught myself, and did it myself. That is very important to me. The symptoms seemed pretty grave at some times, but I don't scare all that easily. And my record atands that I have never taken one thin dime of public money. I made my own problems and I will see them through or die trying.
In fact not too long ago someone mentioned at a party something I actually take a bit of pride in, they said "You know one thing about the Terminator I have noticed over all these years, is that he rarely if ever asks anyone for anythng".
I don't take pride in things, the killer stereo, kickass computers, all that. Such things are merely possesions, but in my view, I hold 100% responsibility for my life and my actions. Hopefully those actions will stand up to scrutinization in the end.
So as not to derail or hijack myself , what if there never was such a thing as insurance ? For one there would not be quite the age of specialization, and malpractice insurance. The stock market is for those who want to make money off of money, and money is nothing. So all this comes together to form the society in which we live.
I don't expect everyone to follow my path in life, many simply can't, but what a thought. No insurance ever. No worker's comp, no UI, no nothing. Make yourself worthwhile, I did. I need no union, I do not need the strength of numbers, which is the whole premise of the concept of insurance in the first place at best. Of course it has steeped itself in profitablity these days, but in concept is is not so bad for certain things.
For example you live in a town and the main road in and out of town gets washed out once in a while. There is a perfect place for insurance, but that is more infrastructure, something totally different.
I beg your opinions.
T
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