Palin on healthcare bill

[Alicia Leonard]

However, the maximum fine for those who refuse to purchase health insurance is $750. [2] Even factoring in government subsidies, the cost of purchasing a plan is much more than $750. The result: many people, especially the young and healthy, will simply not buy coverage, choosing to pay the fine instead. They?ll wait until they?re sick to buy health insurance, confident in the knowledge that insurance companies can?t deny them coverage. Such a scenario is a perfect storm for increasing the cost of health care and creating an unsustainable mandate program.

This senario is exactly why this will drive private insurance out of business. If they are required to take pre-existing conditions they will never be able to collect enough premium money to break even.

So what are people with pre-existing conditions supposed to do for health care?

 

[scooterbug44]

Is it a yearly fine, one time fine?

Say that between subsidies and reform, someone pays $100-150 a month for basic health insurance (which seems reasonable as I used to pay that much w/o any subsidies etc. w/in the last 5 years)

In that case, I doubt many would choose to be fined instead of paying the same amount for 5-8 months of health insurance.

I don't doubt that some would try to "work the system" (as they would do in every possible scenario), but the people I know w/o health insurance WANT IT, but are prevented from getting it due to a pre-existing condition or exorbitant cost.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

is it a yearly fine, one time fine?

Say that between subsidies and reform, someone pays $100-150 a month for basic health insurance (which seems reasonable as i used to pay that much w/o any subsidies etc. W/in the last 5 years)

in that case, i doubt many would choose to be fined instead of paying the same amount for 5-8 months of health insurance.

I don't doubt that some would try to "work the system" (as they would do in every possible scenario), but the people i know w/o health insurance want it, but are prevented from getting it due to a pre-existing condition or exorbitant cost.

;-)

 

[Winnie]

Do those you know who don't have health insurance but want it, only want comprehensive coverage or would be satisfied with catastrophic coverage? I fall in the later category.

 

[scooterbug44]

Not sure, I think they want comprehensive* - partly because medical bills get out of control so fast and partly because they want to make sure they are covered.

I've been healthy and had health insurance all my life and I am still quite scared that if anything really bad happens to me they will somehow find a way to dismiss my claims - and the fact that that is a VALID fear says a lot about the issue IMO.

Frankly, if we could just get the costs for so many prescriptions and basic procedures under control, we'd be halfway to a solution.

And if more of that money could go to doctors and health care workers instead of to the insurance bureaucracy it would be great too.

*What are your definitions of catastrophic and comprehensive? (Just so we are on the same page)

 

[Winnie]

I consider comprehensive coverage to include basic health care coverage (office visits, blood tests, x-rays, etc.) and major medical (surgery, hospital, emergency room, etc.). Catastrophic is only major medical. Both have deductibles.

I think we are addressing the wrong problem by trying to just insure everyone.

I think we need to get costs under control. On a State level, we need tort reform.

And, as I've said on here many times, we really need transparent pricing. I should be able to call the clinic to find out what a basic test procedure will cost. AND, the cost of an MRI should be the same for me as for any other uninsured person. Insurance companies should not get any more than 10% off that cost. Why should I pay $125 for a chest x-ray when Blue Cross pays only $25 for the exact same film?

Much, much reform needs to take place. I don't think Congress is on the right track with a public insurance plan and mandates to be insured at some government decided level of coverage.

 

[scooterbug44]

True - I would be willing to just have catastrophic coverage if a minor office visit/ailment couldn't easily cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

If medical care was affordable, we wouldn't NEED insurance for basic care - which I think would make everyone happy (who wasn't profiting from it).

But HOW do we do that?

Prepaying and not using insurance for an office visit for scheduled/preventative care might cut down on overhead/collection costs. Can a family doctor earn a decent living if they base their practice on a $40-60 flat fee for each visit? (That they don't have to share w/ an insurance company)

Would having labs compete for your business instead of having a monopoly and/or having a set price list for common procedures reduce costs?

How much of a dent can places like Publix and Target (and my foe Walmart) offering affordable generic prescriptions that people pay for directly affect prices?

 

[Winnie]

True - I would be willing to just have catastrophic coverage if a minor office visit/ailment couldn't easily cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

If medical care was affordable, we wouldn't NEED insurance for basic care - which I think would make everyone happy (who wasn't profiting from it).

But HOW do we do that?

Prepaying and not using insurance for an office visit for scheduled/preventative care might cut down on overhead/collection costs. Can a family doctor earn a decent living if they base their practice on a $40-60 flat fee for each visit? (That they don't have to share w/ an insurance company)

Would having labs compete for your business instead of having a monopoly and/or having a set price list for common procedures reduce costs?

How much of a dent can places like Publix and Target (and my foe Walmart) offering affordable generic prescriptions that people pay for directly affect prices?

Great points!
I don't know the answers.

With tort reform and less paperwork, I think doctors offices could run affordably and at a profit. I don't know about "flat fee," but surely some reliable fee schedule.

And I do think labs would compete for business on a patient level as they now must surely do at a practice level. I also believe a set list of prices would help lower costs by increasing competition. Auto dealers don't have to do that because they are offering different products. Appliance stores do have to price competitively because they sell the same brands.

Generic drugs at Walmart save me over $100 per month. Doctors are the key in determining medication needs and costs.

I'm sure there are many, many ways to lower health care costs. I really wish these types of issues were being discussed and decided by our elected representatives and their vast resources. We Americans allow our representatives almost unfettered access to the best minds, information, and science available any where in the world. They should be able to come up with solutions that help ordinary citizens. I feel like they don't really take the role of public servant literally. I'm very close to never again voting in favor of an incumbent. Overall, they disappoint.

 

[tidewater]

Gov Palin?

Gov. Palin has issues with the healthcare bill:

RAW DATA: Palin Critique of Senate Finance Committee Health Care Bill - Political News - FOXNews.com


Interesting reading for all.

She is not a governor anymore.

 

[tidewater]

Pre-existing condition

However, the maximum fine for those who refuse to purchase health insurance is $750. [2] Even factoring in government subsidies, the cost of purchasing a plan is much more than $750. The result: many people, especially the young and healthy, will simply not buy coverage, choosing to pay the fine instead. They’ll wait until they’re sick to buy health insurance, confident in the knowledge that insurance companies can’t deny them coverage. Such a scenario is a perfect storm for increasing the cost of health care and creating an unsustainable mandate program.

This senario is exactly why this will drive private insurance out of business. If they are required to take pre-existing conditions they will never be able to collect enough premium money to break even.

If live long enough we all end up with some kind of pre-existing condition. Wait until you break your little finger and can't get insurance anymore because of it.