I watched online segments of the Republican debate. I found it interesting. I am curious do most people support the idea of de-linking health insurance with jobs? Are conservatives and republicans for this idea or do most people want to preserve their employer provided health insurance?
Obamacare is actually a republican health policy idea started by republican conservatives in 90s in response to Hillarycare. Personally I would prefer socialized medicine. I like the premise of pre-existing conditions not influencing insurance. Obamacare is the idea that everyone has insurance. We already have single payer insurance in the US it's called Medicare. And no one appears willing to give it up. So I'm wondering if that's the case why are people against single payer over everyone?
I'm very curious and willing to give de-linking health insurance a try. I think we should do it for a 4 year stint and see what happens. Personally I think that the divide between the rich, middle, and poor will become cavernous and people will realize those who can afford health care will receive superior care to those who cannot afford to pay. I also believe that quality of life will fall a lot. That crime and people in poverty will increase tremendously.
Why? We currently pay $700/month for insurance HDHP plan with a $6500 individual, $13k family deductible health plan. This is basically only to prevent BK situations, but everything else we're footing the bill. Previously we were paying $120/month biweekly or about $130/month for a PPO plan provided by DH's company with $20 co-pays.
Now they claimed the benefit was $20k/year for a family, since we paid 10% or so of the premium. Now will the company give us a $20k/raise? I have my doubts. But if they did it wouldn't cover moving to a HDHP unless of course they covered the deductible or a portion of it too. I suspect highly coveted employees and fields will have their premiums covered and deductibles into HSA, but the lower wage earners will not.
I think health care will entirely benefit those who can afford it. Can you pay cash? Then move to front of the line. After all if we were all on HDHP, wouldn't the question arise how are you paying for seeing the specialist? Can you pay in full?
Do you think we could move to a true capitalistic health system de-linked to employment and we all pay our way? Would it work? It would be a very interesting experiment. And one which I think would either supremely work and prove capitalism or flame out and prove healthcare can't be linked to money. Either way I think the US needs to try this out and determine if the value of a human healthcare can be priced. What an experiment.
de-linking healthcare
February 7th, 2016 at 10:07 pm
February 7th, 2016 at 10:58 pm 1454885898
Do you ask that your auto insurance company cover your oil changes? That is what people expect from healthcare. And that is ONE reason that premiums are higher, to include basic office visits that people should expect to pay out of pocket.
TRUST ME...you don't want the government involved in your care. Go ask nearly any veteran! The bureaucracy is a nightmare. You want your doctor to be able to order tests and suggest plans to heal you based on your needs, not some flowchart the government says will apply to you.
February 7th, 2016 at 11:59 pm 1454889563
The rest of the world knows the system Americans have chosen is touted as the most expensive.
February 8th, 2016 at 01:04 am 1454893449
I'm reaching an age where my peers who haven't taken care of themselves are suffering from health problems and require regular medication - not because of an inherited disease, not because of a terrible unavoidable accident, but because of poor choices. (that continue in most cases) More than 50% of people in the US are overweight. That statistic is mind-boggling. And yet we talk about "the health care crisis" as though we're victims.
Whew - I'll stop the rant.
February 8th, 2016 at 12:17 pm 1454933866
February 8th, 2016 at 09:32 pm 1454967137
I will always need health insurance but I won't always want to work. I'd much prefer being able to purchase health insurance irregardless of whether or not I am working.
February 11th, 2016 at 01:47 am 1455155277
But that being said since so many people don't believe healthcare is a right then I'm willing to bend and unlink healthcare to jobs and instead go completely capitalistic in healthcare and see what happens.
CCF if you truly believe that Tricare is inefficient then why would you say that Medicare is always going to be needed? If private health insurance is more efficient and better than a single payer system, it stands to reason we need to dismantle medicare, tricare and go to a fully capitalistic system.
Snafu I know I'm on the side of single payer and believe health care is a basic human right. That mindset is what separate the US from the rest of the 1st world countries.
Jenn, the reasons you listed and the fact that I think it'll be harder to change the minds of people who believe in taking care of one self than instituting single payer for everyone. I believe a capitalistic health care system without medicare, tricare, and insurance provided by employers would fail in 5 years. Why? Because no one will want to make hard choices under high deductible plans and pay that much in deductibles PLUS premiums. But I'm willing to gamble because I don't know if the US could go to a single payer without disproving that a market based health insurance plan couldn't work.
PS I know that health insurance without employer subsidy is very expensive. I think a free market plan will be more acceptable to more people in the US but to make it truly work we have to dismantle employer provided coverage and at the same time take apart medicare, medicaid, and tricare and make everything free market to become efficient.
The markets drive efficiency is the thought behind high deductible health plans. But not one country is willing to try this out.