October 12, 2007...5:15 pm
Michelle is 100% right, and that’s why we need to move to a universal regime
Michelle wrote this recently (related to the SCHIP controversy):
Once again, they will ignore the fundamental
concept of how insurance is supposed to work. I repeat again:If you don’t buy it before you need it, you shouldn’t be shocked if it’s difficult to impossible to get after you need it.
Health care should not be approached like typical individual insurance. We need to move away from the model where we have dozens and dozens of pools (company X, company Y, small businesses AB&C, individual Z, etc.) to a model where risk is spread out over all americans.
Also, when somebody tells you that there is a plan for 300$ or whatever amount, you should be asking details about the plan. The plans Michelle mention are very expensive! Yes, they cost 300 per month, but they some have 5000$ deductible, some cover only emergencies, some cover only 80% of your bills, etc.
Finally, Michelle asked in her title:
Question for grown-ups: Who deserves government-subsidized health insurance?
She also shows all sorts of great cars and implies that if you own a big car you don’t deserve a government-subsidized health insurance.
I would like to know this: how many members of congress have nice cars and get government-subsidized health insurance?
7 Comments
October 12, 2007 at 6:07 pm
“Question for grown-ups: Who deserves government-subsidized health insurance?”
..human beings..
October 12, 2007 at 6:12 pm
I’m speachless…
October 12, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Apples and oranges…leave our exalted ones in Washington out of the equation. They, certainly, never include themselves withing the collection of “great unwashed.” Whether it be retirement benefits, application of hiring practices (which they have thrust upon the private sector, or…yes…health insurance.
Health Insurance is about priorities. Obviously, the Frost family isn’t well versed in the term “priority,” more than likely because they believe they are entitled to the…well…entitlements and promises of entitlements. A big screen TV or health insurance. Three late model vehicles or health insurance. ________(fill in the blank) or health insurance.
Insurance is, indeed, a process in which the risk is distributed among the multitude such that the provider benefits (financially) as do those paying the premium (in benefits). The relationship is symbiotic. A universal program takes away responsibility from the policy holder. That “responsibility” is what allows individuals who do set sound priorities to live their lives by their own graces. They are not forced into a standardized plan and (under penalty of law) required to pay a certain sum into the Govt. to subsidized those individuals who make poor choices and can’t prioritize. And, of course the subsequent behavior modification legislation that will follow a universal plan is the essence of nightmares.
I’ve worked in the private sector for nearly 25 years, and in that time I have held my own private health insurance. Interestingly, I’ve not used it once (not an embellishment). Yet, my premiums go up to accomodate others on the same plan (mostly costs to accommodate births by female employees). Personally, even that portion of the private sector is grossly unfair to those good risk policy holders. However, I refuse to have to pay towards a plan that is inclusive of everyone. There are no controls on the cost other than what the money grubbers in Washington decide to be “prudent.”
And, I refuse to give up those trans fatty foods. They’ve not done me in yet…and I don’t think anyone has the right to dictate my vices…(Doritos and otherwise).
Cheers,
JR
October 13, 2007 at 5:47 pm
[...] health care, and our big boat… Jump to Comments JR responded yesterday to an earlier post on health care where I said we need to move away from the … He raises some good points which I would like to respond to. Health Insurance is about priorities. [...]
October 16, 2007 at 3:08 pm
I was covered by military healthcare coverage, both dependent and active-duty, at various points in the first 25 years of my life. Not once did anybody try to dictate to me what I was supposed to eat, how often I was supposed to exercise (except when I was in the Army, but that had nothing to do with my health and everything to do with my readiness), or anything along those lines.
If we had universal coverage in this country it does not then follow that the government MUST dictate our health practices. It would be nice, though, if they’d get their facts straight about diet, exercise and health and then use a universal healthcare system to disseminate that information to us from an early age. I wouldn’t be edging oh so much closer to diabetes every year if we’d had something like that from the get-go; I’d have had the info I needed from day one to make good choices.
And of course now I’ll be lucky to get hold of coverage. Major medical is a great idea and when I can budget it I will probably get it as long as I can find somebody who will cover a fat chick, but that doesn’t mean I can afford to pay some hospital five thousand bucks before the insurance kicks in. I’m already in debt and I don’t need this. Additionally, not having a universal healthcare system means (1) people are forced to take shitty jobs they would not otherwise take, and (2) women in particular are sometimes forced to marry someone they’d give a miss otherwise in order to get coverage because we’re more likely to be stuck in jobs with no or insufficient coverage. That’s just lame.
October 16, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Oh, and by the way? In my case it isn’t choosing between big-screen TV and insurance, or three cars and insurance. My television’s smaller than 20 inches and was a gift; I have no car; I rent my apartment in a poor, crime- and gang- and drug-ridden neighborhood and have for the last three years and am going into my fourth. Without a car and a good swing-shift sitter I can’t hope to get myself out of this situation; even with a good sitter and the bus system here, I would never see my daughter and would be stuck in public transit all day. That’s no kind of life. So here I sit, hoping I don’t get sick.
October 16, 2007 at 5:46 pm
“Additionally, not having a universal healthcare system means (1) people are forced to take shitty jobs they would not otherwise take, and (2) women in particular are sometimes forced to marry someone they’d give a miss otherwise in order to get coverage because we’re more likely to be stuck in jobs with no or insufficient coverage. That’s just lame.”
Exactly. It’s not a real choice when you the decision is made for you because of the circumstances… Now obviously we can’t always get what we want, but there should be limits to this. Health care should be taken out of the equation.
There are other carrots and sticks we can use…
Leave a Reply