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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brian Sullivan who wrote (129085)	1/23/2010 12:50:08 PM
From: neolib	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541908

I think the following is a good 1'st step: 1) Everyone MUST carry a $10K deductible, $1M cap insurance policy. 2) There can be no exclusions for preexisting conditions for the above policies, i.e. policies are portable. 3) Something like the EIC can be used to assist those who can't afford the premiums, and possible to cover expenses in the deductible range at the low end of the economic spectrum. 4) Insurers are free to offer "premium" plans to try and entice more revenue for better low end coverage. 5) Insurers can attempt to differentiate plans by figuring out what care below $10K/year it is in their interest to see that people get (preventive) in order to reduce their costs on the policies of 1) 6) Couple this with some honest malpractice reform. Since I carry a policy like 1) as my primary insurance, I can tell you it is not terrible. Cost < $200/month for two people near 50. I can pay for everything under $10K/year if needed, plus the insurance gives me a discount on that which a cash payer without insurance does not get. Plus I'm cost aware of spending in that $10K range, which, is good. Note that the EIC already puts double this amount of money in peoples pockets down in this range of yearly expense.

To: Brian Sullivan who wrote (129085)	1/23/2010 3:02:13 PM
From: Cogito	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541908

>>Without the invisible hand of everyone self-interests we are never going to get healthcare cost under control.<< I think we're never going to get healthcare costs under control as long as the system is operated for profit, and doctors are paid for each procedure, which gives them the incentive to always do more, prescribe more tests, etc. It isn't reasonable to expect patients to pick and choose which treatments they do and do not want, because most of us don't have the knowledge to make those kinds of decisions. The free market works well for some things, but it's not going to reduce healthcare costs. - Allen