The move to stop the expansion of SCHIP seems obstructionist to me.
I don't have a problem with obstructing policies that I consider undesirable.
I don't think it was an unreasonable increment to the current approach to health care.
I'm not looking for any net increment.
It certainly was preferable to a total disruption and conversion to single-payer.
The fact that there is a "greater evil", isn't necessarily going to make me support the "lesser evil", esp. when you aren't actually in a dilemma where the only possible choice is one or the other.
I don't know how many of the subset of the 46 million who don't have insurance because it is unaffordable it would have covered but if we could get them covered
I don't see how it would make a huge impact on the group that really can't afford insurance, but aren't eligible for current government programs. Remember its an expansion to an existing program, not a new program. So the only additional people who are covered are at the higher end. Those are mostly people I would consider as being already able to afford insurance.
And its a program for children (so it wouldn't insure most adults), and for the most part children are less expensive to insure.
I set up a fictional couple to get an e-health insurance quote (no fraud, its not an actual application, you just enter sex, DOB, smoking status and zip code)
Cost $115 a month with a $10k deductible (catastrophic insurance), $174/month with a $2500 deductible, $257/month with a $500 deductible.
Now add 3 kids (a teenage boy and a 5 year old girl, and a baby boy).
I no longer see a $10k deductible plan, but a $5k costs $297/month, a $2500 ded. costs $285/month ($111 per month extra for 3 people from the same insurer) and a $500 ded. plan costs $440/month (again from the same insurer).
So you pay between $37/month and $61/month extra per kid, or a total extra of between $111 and $183/month for all 3.
If your making $50 to $83K you should be able to afford that. If it means you don't buy a new car as often (or perhaps ever, lots of people get buy with decent used cars for much less), or you drop the movie channels from your cable line up, than so be it. |
