I'm left wondering which specific proposal you mean.
There isn't any formal proposal. There would be no point in preparing a bill to that effect. I meant the idea, which has been put forward by a variety of folks. What I wrote is merely my own interpretation and, in places, further development of how that might play out having read about it some and having thought about it considerably. The old war horse put her systems and policy analysis hat on and what I posted is the output of that process.
I think the major problem here is that we aren't discussing a single proposal, nor even a coherent set of alternate proposals that have been well defined.
I understand your concern and, you're right, we're not. But there isn't any formal proposal on any table to talk about and there can't be a formal proposal until thoughtful folks toss the idea around and see if and how it solidifies. Which is the process I was trying to draw you into.
I think the major problem here is that we aren't discussing a single proposal, nor even a coherent set of alternate proposals that have been well defined.
Like I said, I thought it might work like car insurance. There is no federal regulation of car insurance, I don't think. I'm hardly expert but state regulation seems to work just fine in that arena. Perhaps some federal regulation would be necessary but I don't yet see where.
Message 26275078
By the way, I do like the idea of prepaid health plans, where people pay a fixed amount annually to some healthcare provider, and are then covered for whatever treatment they need in that year. For reasons I can't fathom, some states don't allow that.
I thought all states allowed prepaid health plans. It's just not called that. It's called health insurance. You know, those policies bought individually or provided by employers or the government that pay for mole removal, mammograms, earaches, physicals, blood tests, tetanus shots, all that stuff. <g>
I think you're thinking of "private contracts" for concierge services or retainer arrangements. Yes, the opposition to that is amazing and totally wrongheaded best I can tell. That's just the kind of state meddling these "proposals" are intended to get around. [Private contracts were illegal for Medicare patients until recently. Now they are allowed in limited circumstances.]
The point I was trying to make about prepaid health plans is the misuse of the word, "insurance." Once upon a time we had what was called "major medical," which was actually insurance, a concept that inherently about major risks with low likelihood. Earaches are neither major nor low likelihood. I am convinced that if we differentiated more between the regular maintenance and medical crisis aspects of health care like we do between a crumpled car and an oil change in car insurance we could come up with a better health insurance system. Applying the notion of insurance to the annual physical is an assault on the intellect. |
