www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall You Will Lose Your Private Health Insurance

I just love the $1000 fine, with threats of prison down the line. I'm 24, non-smoker and in good health. To get a plan that pays 100% after deductible (since the only real use I'd have of insurance would be something catastrophic and unplanned), it costs about $100-150/month or more on my own I've found.

The real way to help bring expenses down is to get rid of the mandated caps on medical school entries. The government creates artificial barriers to entry (an AMA monopoly) and then everyone freaks out when prices are high? Supply is far too small for demand. Fixing that is easy, doesn't reek of socialism, and will really help.

After all, do we really need a top-10 medical school doctor to give us a prescription for antibiotics for a sinus infection?

Malpractice is a thorny issue, but why they won't look at the artificially low supply just boggles my mind. Well, I know why...money. Same reason we can't buy drugs from overseas.

darkwater685:

You may not be so pleased if this plays out in a manner similar to Social Security. The whole idea behind pools is that the members pay similar premiums into the pool and are covered for the same things on an as-needed basis. Conceivably you could soon be paying as much as those who are much older than you since the insurance industry cannot deny those with pre-exisitng conditions as they can do now. You might also consider the experience of those who fought for equality for young women in car insurance: they soon found that their premiums rose to those of the young men they wanted parity with. The premiums for health insurance may rise to meet the risk involved with insuring those with the most risk.

Another consideration is the whole idea of discrimination. The idea that those with pre-existing conditions cannot be excluded is based on the idea of eliminating discrimination. Tis latter was the way that premiums could remain low for those in the insurance pool. So it may be that everyone's premiums will rise to the level of those with the most risk. Being a non-smoker may soon be irrevelant.

My take--long-term--is that those like you--the young--will find the same deal that the government has given the young in relation to Social Security.

BOB

Stuart,

That's it right there! Greed is allowed by law to be part of the equation--how can that not be a formula for disaster?

(It's amazing, too, how people's attitudes can change about things like malpractice suits when they are suddenly presented with the opportunity of "cashing in" on one.)


DW,

Another excellent point!

From reading through this thread, two conclusions are inescapable:

• The current "crisis" is real, but completely artificial, being the result of the usual "grab" for whatever money or advantage may be gotten at others' expense (and remember, it's not "stealing," because it's legal! ).
• The proposed "solution" is no solution because it fails to address any of these issues and merely adds to them ($1000 fines, with threats of prison down the line? )

There are other factors that haven't been brought up in this thread as of yet--if I get a chance, I'll add something about some of those.


Peace,
Deacon Richard