Re: I Have Seen The Light.... I Am Now A Republican

Mark & Steven Bornfeld wrote:
<snip>

This is a problem that defies easy solution. Oh, it can be solved.
But in most of the rest of the western world, there is a desire for
everyone to be protected. Here we pay lip service to it, but
generally act as though if we can afford health insurance, the people
who can't--well, too bad.
The problem is that many of us grew up in the postwar world where the
corporation took care of the socialist function. That's why the auto
industry here is dying--GM has those darned "legacy costs" that other
countries don't. But the big corporations are wising up fast, and if
you don't know that health packages offered by big employees have
deteriorated, you're not paying attention.
For those of us who purchase our own insurance, it's no
secret--premiums have been going up about 10% every January. But the
mass of insured who have gotten this as a basic benefit of employment
have no idea what is happening--unless they become ill and find out
how deductibles, copays etc. have gone up and yearly maximum benefits
have gone down. They may also notice that many of the doctors
they've seen in the past no longer "take" their insurance.
Medicare reimbursement rates have gone down too. There has been a net
move of doctors out of primary care into specialties that are less
subject to the whims of managed care.
These changes are unsustainable. When it was just the poor, no one
cared. Then came Medicaid and Medicare, and most people were OK. Then the working poor started slipping through the cracks. Now the
middle class are slipping through the cracks. And even those who
have the better insurance policies are finding their choices of
physicians curtailed, their out of pocket expenses higher.
Now, people are waking up--because it effects them. When we get
enough of the middle class suffering, the political will to do
something will magically appear. Unfortunately, it's likely to be a
band-aid, applied in panic--because the federal deficit will not
support it without massive tax increases. It's us--the baby
boomers--who will force it to happen. It should be interesting to
see what the next administration puts out--and if the storytelling is
even more "creative" than what the Bush administration spun when they
finally let through the prescription drug benefit under
Medicare--about what it would REALLY cost.
Should be interesting...

Steve

Good points, Doc. and a good overall analysis of the development of the issue. I would offer a counterpoint (ok maybe a couple ;-) ) though at least as to the onerous tax burden to fix the problem that tends to be taken as a given.

What seems (to me) to be routinely overlooked about US healthcare is that it's already socialized. We're all bearing the burden of the uninsured in increased hospital/clinic/physician's costs. We're already paying taxes to support entitlement programs for the poor and the elderly. On top of that, were also already paying taxes to finance the employer contributions to healthcare premiums of federal, state, county, and municipal employees (*and* the profits earned by the health insurance providers of those employees). Five or six years ago there was a Harvard study (didn't read it - heard about it on NPR), which demonstrated that 70% of US medical costs were already tax funded at some level between entitlements and employer contributions for government employees. Lastly if you and I were both part of the same employer sponsored plan, both our premiums would go up after something catastrophic happened in my family. ...troubling that it's regularly catastrophic in my family. That "lastly" thing gets my goat every time; because the "lastly" part describes a real antiquated sovietesque system of collectives (behind corporate sounding names like Aetna and Humana), which make a tidy profit for a few lucky dogs at the top of the collective food chain while the rest of us carry ever increasing burdens of coinsurance, copays, and premiums in order to keep the insurance company executives in their yachts and summer homes. Oh gee, I'm really depressed now...

I *do* agree with your analysis that the probable solutions out there will likely not amount to anything more than a "band-aid, applied in a panic". It will probably be because our fearless leaders will all neglect to mention that nearly all of us would be more than compensated for our "medical tax" by our health insurance premiums going away. ...if we were to adopt a real solution. ...guess you probably can't tell I drop between $400 and $500/month in prescription copays, never mind the really expensive stuff. <sigh>

Jeff (*really* I thought your other points were very well taken) Holston

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: imagine this 4 years ago
    ... Medicare a large number raise their hands. ... They pay into these, it's been an ongoing program, and most know ... insurance they have now to the govt program. ... as to paying for employees health coverage. ...
    (rec.music.artists.kiss)
  • Re: I Have Seen The Light.... I Am Now A Republican
    ... I believe that we should offer medical education and have available a military like medical corp that serves those without the means to get the care fr the provider of thier choice, just like the corp of engineers that builds leeves for cities ... Here we pay lip service to it, but generally act as though if we can afford health insurance, the people who can't--well, too bad. ... Then came Medicaid and Medicare, ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: Good grief!
    ... Rigged because the management is skimming and ... Well, health insurance is predictable. ... (Medicare. ... employees is not supported by any proposal now under consideration. ...
    (rec.bicycles.tech)
  • Re: Why is number without health insurance increasing?
    ... In other words, in order for the insurance companies to get the contract on such a large group of people, they have to discount the plans to the companies. ... Their employees get discounts on numerous things, for which others that are not employees of those companies pay extra for....which subsidizes the highly paid employees of those large companies. ... A third of firms in the U.S. did not offer coverage in 2004. ... * Rapidly rising health insurance premiums is the main reason ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: 2006 Projects?
    ... >>> have medical insurance. ... >> If health insurance were available at the same rates for small groups as ... >> it more reasonable to require that they treat their employees better in my ... >electric bills by nearly 30% and upped the dividend almost that much. ...
    (rec.crafts.textiles.needlework)
Loading