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The wave of the future?

Seems some employers aren't waiting for the feds to reform the screwed-up healthcare insurance system and are getting out of the business. (Scroll down to the second article on the page.) I think that this would be a really, really good idea for other employers to embrace, as it would end the practice of tying health insurance to one's job and instead make people individually responsible for buying their own insurance - often at lower prices than their employers would have paid.

I thought I had seen something on one of my regular blogs about a plan W is pushing to make interstate health insurance sales legal, but can't find the link. The advantage to this, of course, is that it would allow people to buy plain vanilla coverage without all the state-mandated coverage that often pumps up the price. Kind of like an auto dealer who's forced by law to sell nothing but V-6 slushboxes with satellite radios and DVD players when all you want is a 4-cylinder econobox with a straight stick and an AM radio.


( 5 comments — Leave a comment )
Jan. 22nd, 2005 06:47 am (UTC)
Hmmm, I don't know.. but the British system of state funded healthcare seems to work well. I'll admit it has it's flaws, but I personally think it's a better deal for the patients and doctors alike!
Jan. 22nd, 2005 05:36 pm (UTC)
Neither the British nor the Canadian systems work all that well for anything but routine care...the hospitals in Detroit and Buffalo get a ton of patients from Canada that don't want to wait six months to a year for bypass surgery.

As for the American version of socialized medicine...I was a service brat and have been on welfare. The military system works okay if you're on active duty, not so great if you're a dependent. As for being on medical assistance (Medicaid) it stinks, no two ways about it. Lots of waiting around, lots of paperwork, and a ton of other hassles. No thanks. As the joke goes, "Nationalized healthcare - all the efficiency of the Defense Department combined with the customer care of the Motor Vehicle Administration!"
Jan. 23rd, 2005 06:56 am (UTC)
I know what you mean. But surely it's better to wait for surgery rather than never be afford it. Those who don't want to wait, or want elective procedures can always use private facilities.

Efficieny isn't something I expect from a goverenment managed department. But at least, every one will have access to healthcare, even if they cannot pay for it... At least something better than Medicaid that is.
Jan. 23rd, 2005 08:12 pm (UTC)
Everyone has access to care now. There are programs to cover people at the bottom of the income ladder -Medicaid/Medicare, Medical Assistance here in MN, and of course emergency rooms have to treat you if you show up sick or injured. The idea that people get turned away from hospitals because they can't pay for the care is just flat-out wrong: you get the medical care first and then the agony of billing ensues.

Also, in a lot of countries where the government is the sole provider (I'm thinking of Canada in particular) it's illegal to provide care outside the goverment-run system.
Jan. 27th, 2005 02:10 am (UTC)
I see. But you DO hear about poor people, who cannot get treatment because of the very same bills.

I mean, if such a person has some illness, say a minor affliction, they probably won't seek medical help fearing the costs. As a result, the overall health of such people worsens. But free govt runs clinics, which treat patients without keeping records, i.e. no filling forms etc required, would solve this.

And then, there are probably people who are suppressing serious illnes because they know they won't be able to afford treatment...

In my opinion, I definitely think the govenment should step in to reform the medical system. These days even doctors don't get paid fairly at times, with all the deals the insurance companies makes with hospitals...
( 5 comments — Leave a comment )



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