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Interesting. Would you care to elaborate on this (article links etc)? I happen to be in Colorado for the moment.
Thank you.
Yes it is called "ColoradoCare" seen on Amendment 69 this upcoming election, a universal health insurance system that will cover everyone in the state.
At minimum, US needs to move to a system which decouples employment and health insurance.
I wonder how this could help businesses? If businesses no longer need to cover insurance for employees I think this would free up money for other things.
What happens with Sweden's single-payer system is that when the economy is down, clinics and hospitals are closed, and the ones that are open have to absorb the clients of the ones that close. There are already long waits to begin with for primary care docs, so that makes them even longer.
Many Swedes maintain a savings account for minor emergencies/illnesses, so they can get in to see one of the independent docs right away (there are docs who don't participate in the gov't system). Also, the gov't bean-counters require primary care docs to minimize referrals to specialists (like HMO's operate in the US: Kaiser, and others), to keep costs down. So it can be very difficult for people who need to see a specialist. Many complain that they go to the doctor, but the doctor tells them they're fine and sends them out the door.
Be careful what you wish for in health insurance systems.
I wonder how this could help businesses? If businesses no longer need to cover insurance for employees I think this would free up money for other things.
Many companies in Canada provide supplemental insurance to employees to cover expenses not covered by universal health care e.g. dental care, prescription drugs, prescription glasses, physical therapy, short term disability, long term disability.
You know what's funny? Here in U.S., with the Oh Bummer Care, I no longer feel that I truly have a choice - as far as private health "insurance" is concerned: My employer's plan is a crappy super-high deductible plan. I would like to get another one, better priced and low-deductible. And guess what - I MUST enroll only during a very specific time window during the year, MUST contract the services of a "provider" that MUST be from the same state, and pick up from just a few "bronze", "silver" or "gold" plans. Which are never affordable price wise anyway.
Isn't that ... SOCIALISM, ahem?
That sounds a lot like fascism. It's weird how the whole arguement around socialized medicine is about less choice, but in reality, the private system you have is draconian. You go to the doctor they tell you to, they tell which hospitals you can go to, and even your doctor tries a sales pitch on you for a new drug...your own doctor! That's sickening, literally. If you can't trust your own doctor then just give up, try a witch doctor.
You know what's funny? Here in U.S., with the Oh Bummer Care, I no longer feel that I truly have a choice - as far as private health "insurance" is concerned: My employer's plan is a crappy super-high deductible plan. I would like to get another one, better priced and low-deductible. And guess what - I MUST enroll only during a very specific time window during the year, MUST contract the services of a "provider" that MUST be from the same state, and pick up from just a few "bronze", "silver" or "gold" plans. Which are never affordable price wise anyway.
Isn't that ... SOCIALISM, ahem?
Boo to Oh Bummer Care: a communist trick that shifts money from the so-called "middle class" to the poor. And making this "Affordable Care" - paradoxically - un-affordable for the middle class. And it is the insurance pool of healthy individuals who has to suffer, definitely. And the private insurers are now feeling the pain. And many are just leaving the "market".
That's not true. There are provisions for people applying between the official registration periods. I looked up the public exchanges a month ago, when my state-sponsored pool notified me their premiums would be going up, and had the choice of joining right then and there, online, without waiting for the Nov. 1 registration period.
What happens with Sweden's single-payer system is that when the economy is down, clinics and hospitals are closed, and the ones that are open have to absorb the clients of the ones that close. There are already long waits to begin with for primary care docs, so that makes them even longer.
What happens with Taiwan's single-payer system is that the National Healthcare Insurance is bankrupt (or on the verge of bankruptcy), the abuse is rampant, and the medical personnels are crazy overworked, therefore affects the quality.
What happens with Taiwan's single-payer system is that the National Healthcare Insurance is bankrupt (or on the verge of bankruptcy), the abuse is rampant, and the medical personnels are crazy overworked, therefore affects the quality.
Wow! It really pays to research single-payer systems. There is no magic bullet that will result in a simple, high-quality and efficient system. The French have come closer to achieving that than anyone, but their system isn't so simple; it's a combination of systems.
Many companies in Canada provide supplemental insurance to employees to cover expenses not covered by universal health care e.g. dental care, prescription drugs, prescription glasses, physical therapy, short term disability, long term disability.
Supplemental policies like those cost no where near as much as a primary health insurance policy. Health insurance is very expensive for employers. People are locked into their jobs for insurance. If you can decouple, it will change the job landscape. Obviously, employers will offer something else to entice employees. No other insurance product in the US do we expect to get through our employers.
Speaking as a pharmacist, insurance companies do offer incentives if you can get the prescriber to change to a cheaper drug. You cannot change it on you own. You send a letter to a prescriber and try to get them to change. I've sent those letters. I have always included the preferred alternatives. Insurance companies use a mixture of their own pharmacists and those in the community. Depending on the company and what you are doing, you will get $20-$50 per successful change.
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