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Would have to agree with your 3 points you listed, very much so... The Japanese Auto Companies are structured differently. That can be heavily subsidized versus their US competitors.
I've said this before and I'll say it again....unless the cost of health care is addressed in some way (which I don't see an easy answer for), UHC is not going to happen and if it does it will be a disaster. If it's a cause for financial difficulty among the Big 3, it's not going to end up being a pretty picture if the goverment try to cover everyone. When it starts it will be costly and as it continues it will become unbearable....with the goverment paying, it might even increase faster than it is currently (we've all heard of the military paying $700 for hammers).
It's this simple, you've got a bunch of people paying more than they really can afford for health insurance. Then you've got a bunch more that can't afford it at all and don't have it. If it's going to become available for all, then I don't care how much smoke and how many mirrors you use, the ones who have it now and are paying way too much for it, will have to pay even more to cover the ones who don't have it and can't afford it all.
It's not the health insurance companies that are making a bunch of money (the smaller ones have gone out of business or are close to it). Some carriers are mutual and don't even have shareholders that they have to pay dividends to. It's to their benefit to keep rates as low as possible so that policyholders don't shop for new coverage. They don't raise rates to make more profit....their profit was already calculated into their rates when they began selling the plan and the goal is to try and maintain it but, as claims increase (and the cost of care also), they have to raise their rates to offset that increase. The problem is every time they do that, they lose business because the healthy policyholders leave and go elsewhere(because they can, they're healthy...they can shop around). The unhealthy of course stay and the claims ratio gets worse, which forces another increase soon and the plan then begins to spiral out of control.
How will we lower the cost of care now that's it's this high. A lot of doctors won't even accept Medicare as payment now because it doesn't pay enough. UHC will have to be discounted even more if it's going to cover all the uninsured we have now.
The you failed to listen tot eh debates between Mccian and Obama.But tehn who beleieves anythign Obama said WAAAAY back then.
I listened to the debates and McCain's plan was nothing short of disastrous. Did little to reform and a lot geared to the Republican Ideologies, besides... McCain is no longer relevant.
I sometimes wonder if the American auto companies did not have the burden of providing health care for their employees and retirees;
-if they would not have needed bailouts,
-whether they would need to file bankruptcy,
-if they would be more completive with the global market.
As much as I favor UHC, I disagree. Under many UHC systems, employers pay a tax, and sales taxes fund other systems. It's just a different way of paying for the same thing. So the automakers there are paying a lot for health care, too.
As much as I favor UHC, I disagree. Under many UHC systems, employers pay a tax, and sales taxes fund other systems. It's just a different way of paying for the same thing. So the automakers there are paying a lot for health care, too.
Yeah, but the situation with the Big-3 is a lot more extreme. Their issue is that they have a particularly large group of retired employees for which they are paying health care costs - a far greater percentage of retirees than the population as a whole supports. All those retirees put an enormous strain on the auto companies. At one particular location, local GM retirees outnumber active members by more than 13 to one. Now that particular case is an extreme example, but it highlights GM's (and Chrysler's) problem. Because of the various contracts these automakers have had with the unions in the past, they have lots and lots and lots of retirees that they are paying medical costs for. THAT'S the specific problem the Big 3 are facing.
For the country as a whole there off a whole set of challenges - the Big 3 auto companies are in a league of their own - and they are not a good comparison to the rest of the nation.
I've said this before and I'll say it again....unless the cost of health care is addressed in some way (which I don't see an easy answer for), UHC is not going to happen and if it does it will be a disaster. If it's a cause for financial difficulty among the Big 3, it's not going to end up being a pretty picture if the goverment try to cover everyone. When it starts it will be costly and as it continues it will become unbearable....with the goverment paying, it might even increase faster than it is currently (we've all heard of the military paying $700 for hammers).
It's this simple, you've got a bunch of people paying more than they really can afford for health insurance. Then you've got a bunch more that can't afford it at all and don't have it. If it's going to become available for all, then I don't care how much smoke and how many mirrors you use, the ones who have it now and are paying way too much for it, will have to pay even more to cover the ones who don't have it and can't afford it all.
It's not the health insurance companies that are making a bunch of money (the smaller ones have gone out of business or are close to it). Some carriers are mutual and don't even have shareholders that they have to pay dividends to. It's to their benefit to keep rates as low as possible so that policyholders don't shop for new coverage. They don't raise rates to make more profit....their profit was already calculated into their rates when they began selling the plan and the goal is to try and maintain it but, as claims increase (and the cost of care also), they have to raise their rates to offset that increase. The problem is every time they do that, they lose business because the healthy policyholders leave and go elsewhere(because they can, they're healthy...they can shop around). The unhealthy of course stay and the claims ratio gets worse, which forces another increase soon and the plan then begins to spiral out of control.
How will we lower the cost of care now that's it's this high. A lot of doctors won't even accept Medicare as payment now because it doesn't pay enough. UHC will have to be discounted even more if it's going to cover all the uninsured we have now.
Part of the reason healthcare is so expensive HAS to do with the continuing rise of uninsured ANd underinsured individuals.
Everytime someone declares bankruptcy and their bill is never paid.. what happens then is that the cost is passed on into higher prices to make up the deficit.
Also.. medicaid has caused a problem. Why? Well because not enough funds are collected for it.. and can't be justified because it is a "benefit" that only the poor.. who don't pay any taxes, are seeing that we are paying for.
Besides that.. medicaid is also used by the sickest of the population (as is medicare). Let's say you get cancer, you lose your job, you lose your insurance and your income is then zilch .. you fall below the poverty line.. well then you can apply for medicaid and get the benefits.
you have the underinsued.. who purchase insurance, think they are covered but then find out there coverage is weak and leaves them with big hospital bills.
NOW.. I was originally for a uHC.. and still am.. but I realize this is not going to happen. However, one sytem of healthcare that seems to be working well is the Swiss system.. and it's the closest system to ours in tht it is private but government subsidized. In Switzerland, insurance is mandatory and if premiums are above 10% of your income, the government will subsidize it. THey have a 98% insured rate (the rest are finded for being in violation ) and their GDP is around 11% (ours is 17%). They are hte second largest spender of healthcare dollars.. but still below where we are.
So.. in there system
a) choice of plans is available for all..
b) government plays no part in health decisions (BTW.. it's important to note that government does not play a part in decisions of healtchare in the UK either.. it is only government funded.. and run by Dr's)
c). it eliminates uninsured..
d) those who are poor will still get their health coverage, but it would eliminate medicaid/ medicare.. because government would subsidize and approved private plan from competitors.
e) With 98% of the population being insured, you have a much larger overall pool of insured individuals
f) Insurance is no longer employer based (although , of course, tax needs to be collected to 'subsidize" but since it's not a full out funding of healthcare it's far less to accomplish. Lose your job, the continuation of your benefits could be considered part of yoru unemployment so that your insurance remains with you.
This is all basic.. btw.. and there is much more to it
It is important to note, however, that private insurance companies operate at a 30% overhead and Medicaid at a 5% overhead. That is because your premium dollars are going for CEO's and executive salaries and bonuses, lobbying costs, advertising costs.. etc etc. Ther was an article i linked to in another thread that mentioned that if you a CEO cut 10% of his salary a year it would be enough to cover 32,000 people for 5 years.. or something to that affect.
I sometimes wonder if the American auto companies did not have the burden of providing health care for their employees and retirees;
-if they would not have needed bailouts,
-whether they would need to file bankruptcy,
-if they would be more completive with the global market.
You raise a valid point. Add about $1,500 on to the cost of an American car because they have to provide health care.
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