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What Are You Doing Right Now? (211 Viewers)
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Labor strikes today are all about health care benefits. Health care costs -- at the current status quo -- are rising several times the rate of inflation every year. You could argue that reform when we're broke doesn't make sense, sure.
But you could just as easily argue that it's things like an inefficient and flawed health insurance system is one of the very things that is making us broke, that are making companies less competitive in the world marketplace, etc.
I love the concept of wanting our private health insurance companies to survive. These are companies whose business model is to take your money and to refuse to pay back as much as possible in medical care up until the point that they get sued for patient deaths.
Yep. There's a business model we want to preserve as part of America's culture of innovation and cutting edge business models/jobs.
Pharma companies are scared as sh*t about Medicare. Because Medicare negotiated some Wal-Mart-style cut-throat meds payments at volume. They don't want to see the myriad of private health insurance companies to try for the same deals. Because they know that if we had aggregate pricing at the level of the U.S. public at large, it would be like the death of the shady car salesman in their industry.
But you could just as easily argue that it's things like an inefficient and flawed health insurance system is one of the very things that is making us broke, that are making companies less competitive in the world marketplace, etc.
Competition in a free market... boo. That's all I got on this one. Greg said it all. 
Yep. There's a business model we want to preserve as part of America's culture of innovation and cutting edge business models/jobs.
Pharma companies are scared as sh*t about Medicare. Because Medicare negotiated some Wal-Mart-style cut-throat meds payments at volume. They don't want to see the myriad of private health insurance companies to try for the same deals. Because they know that if we had aggregate pricing at the level of the U.S. public at large, it would be like the death of the shady car salesman in their industry.
Competition in a free market... boo. That's all I got on this one. Greg said it all.
As for the last part... the closest example to give you is auto insurance. One of the factors based on your auto insurance rate is the number (app. percentage) of uninsured drivers in your state. Basically, the more uninsured drivers in your state, the more you pay.
Health care works similarly. Prices do go up with the number of uninsured patients. Hospitals have to charge more to make up for the free rides they give in the ER. If prices for procedures go up, your insurance pays more and you pay more. Basically the theory behind it is that if everyone is covered and hospitals are guaranteed to get paid then the costs go down. Whether this will work is hard to tell, hospital administration is a hugely complex business.
As for the last part... the closest example to give you is auto insurance. One of the factors based on your auto insurance rate is the number (app. percentage) of uninsured drivers in your state. Basically, the more uninsured drivers in your state, the more you pay.
Health care works similarly. Prices do go up with the number of uninsured patients. Hospitals have to charge more to make up for the free rides they give in the ER. If prices for procedures go up, your insurance pays more and you pay more. Basically the theory behind it is that if everyone is covered and hospitals are guaranteed to get paid then the costs go down. Whether this will work is hard to tell, hospital administration is a hugely complex business.
I've learned from taking risk management courses that people who have some sort of insurance, whether it be health, home or financial, actually take more risks. So what I see happening with this sort of plan is that demand is ramped up and you have people visiting the doctor more than necessary for silly concerns, thus causing strain on the system. I don't know if this could work in the United States.
I'm not saying that this current system is great -- most certainly not. It should be a human right to have healthcare, not an American right to refuse it. But there are potential problems on both sides of the spectrum, insurance companies or not. If someone presents a viable plan in a healthy economy for universal healthcare, lets go for it.
True, and I'm not arguing that healthcare is acceptably affordable. It's not. But both the consumer and government are strained at the same time, and now the latter is trying to make up for the spending loss of the former. It works both ways. Putting our government in jeopardy -- I kid you not, that is what we're doing right now -- is not the path we should take.
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