I believe the taxpayers pay already some portion of the premiums for this large group
I really don't want to have to start all over from scratch with this. Been there, done that.
The FEHBP is an EMPLOYER provided benefit, not a transfer payment. Premiums are partially paid by the employer and partially by the employee, just like any other employer provided health benefit. Employee salary and benefits are compensation for work performed. It makes no sense for the federal government to pay salary or benefits to people who are not employed by it. If you want employment compensation from the government, go get a government job.
Is the Government group now called "socialized?"
No. The relationship is no different than the one between Microsoft or Haliburton or Citibank and their employees.
could also choose to purchase insurance from the Government at the same cost as those who are currently in the program.
What could be done, however, is for the government to set up an agency to operate a program where the agency would sign up companies to provide health insurance for a new group. The new group would include any US citizen who wanted to participate and could pay the premiums. Participants would likely be people currently have income from work that doesn't provide health benefits such as the self-employed or temporary workers. The agency would set minimum standards for plans, negotiate rates and contract with insurers, make information about joining available, and audit program performance. Presumably the premiums for such a large group would be lower than what individuals can purchase independently from these very same participating companies, similar to the total premium for FEHBP. A large scale public-private partnership.
Alternately, the government could mandate that large insurers doing business in this country set up programs for open groups similar to the FEHBP. Your basic regulatory approach, kind of like we do for utilities.
These would both be government mandated and one of them partially government operated but neither would cross the magic threshold of "socialized" because there's transfer payment involved and because the services would not be provided by a government bureaucracy. Rather, the government would be inserting its heavy hand into the insurance business to force a service that the industry is not now providing.
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