Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Problem is that when you run health care through even the most basic market models it simply doesn't work. There are huge barriers to new entrants in the form of cost of entry and skills required. There is no real threat of substitute products or services. Buyers have very weak bargaining power partly due to lack of transparency but mainly because when you are sick you need treatment and don't generally have the luxury to shop around. And suppliers are both constrained and protected by the regulatory environment. What this has created is a quasi-monopolistic health care system but were the public interest is only partially protected by government.
And, in our current setup, if you push real healthcare costs onto employees then what you will get is irresistible political pressure to extend Medicare into an NHS type system. Same reason you will never get rid of Medicare. Seniors are the biggest healthcare consumers and seniors vote.
The free market mantra sounds good but it is not a realistic option.
I'm not sure you have a coherent solution to the problem and what basic market models have you run exactly?
More choices for consumers equals a more efficient market
Large barriers to entry? I'm not sure what large barriers to entry you speak of.
I know other actuaries who went ahead and formed their own insurance company start up. There wasn't a large barrier to entry for them. If you give consumers the ability to make choices and investors the ability to invest you will get more choices and a more efficient market.
If consumers ask for more transparency they will get more transparency because they make the decision where their money goes. If an employer makes the decision for the employee the transparency is inherently worse.
I'm not sure you have a coherent solution to the problem and what basic market models have you run exactly?
More choices for consumers equals a more efficient market
Large barriers to entry? I'm not sure what large barriers to entry you speak of.
I know other actuaries who went ahead and formed their own insurance company start up. There wasn't a large barrier to entry for them. If you give consumers the ability to make choices and investors the ability to invest you will get more choices and a more efficient market.
If consumers ask for more transparency they will get more transparency because they make the decision where their money goes. If an employer makes the decision for the employee the transparency is inherently worse.
You don't seem to understand the basic issues
You do realise that health care is not just about insurance? Insurance is simply one of the means we choose to use to pay for health care.
I smell BS. You say they are the same plans, no way.
He never said they were the same plan, he said her current plan is being cancelled due to non-compliance with ACA, and her new plan is $650 for a plan that to OP seems like "pretty much the same coverage". He never said it was the same plan, just that they seem similar to him and his wife. I'm sure there are significant differences when you read the details, but saying "I smell BS" makes it sound like you think OP is lying rather than just not aware of the differences between the two plans.
He never said they were the same plan, he said her current plan is being cancelled due to non-compliance with ACA, and her new plan is $650 for a plan that to OP seems like "pretty much the same coverage". He never said it was the same plan, just that they seem similar to him and his wife. I'm sure there are significant differences when you read the details, but saying "I smell BS" makes it sound like you think OP is lying rather than just not aware of the differences between the two plans.
He said "pretty much the same coverage". I still say BS!
He never said they were the same plan, he said her current plan is being cancelled due to non-compliance with ACA, and her new plan is $650 for a plan that to OP seems like "pretty much the same coverage". He never said it was the same plan, just that they seem similar to him and his wife. I'm sure there are significant differences when you read the details, but saying "I smell BS" makes it sound like you think OP is lying rather than just not aware of the differences between the two plans.
Thank you, you are right. The Op didn't say the plans were exactly the same but the thread somehow got detoured due to human error
Obama blew it. He had the chance and the majority to give the country a proper health care reform. Instead we got the ACA which is a sell out to special interests and which does not address the affordability issue that so many Americans face. For me, Obama is an empty suit.
However, it is an indictment if the GOP that they have utterly failed to come up with any kind of coherent alternative. Maybe because the ACA is essentially their plan.
LOL... he did not "blow it". He got through what he could, with the people he had at the time. Look it up.
He did something that no other dem could... and they have tried off and on since the 70s (at least). He is no place near empty suit.. that is ridiculous, considering what he pulled off.
GOP does not have an alternative plan, which is a shame. But I do think after Obama is out of office and the Tea Party melts away, the Dems and Reps will come together and slowly fix healthcare.
Personally I'd like to see everyone with something like I have, VA. I know, I know.... VA kills vets, etc... that is what is in the news. VA saved my life and caught a couple of things over the years before being any type of real issue. Even with all the issues, I love the VA. Unfortunately, I'm not sure all issues will ever be resolved due to the structure and the way healthcare works (I worked at a hospital before, not a va owned).
Bottom line is that quality of life goes up when you don't have to worry about paying a huge medical bill or stress about your health and if you can afford to have something looked at.
I have too dear friends who are in their late 50s, both were uninsurable, but not anymore. I think they told now they are paying something like $250 each. She had breast cancer and he has heart problems.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
