An Interesting Number About Health Insurance

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Unfortunately, there will be no particularly good answers for health insurance as long as Americans remain so fucking fat and stationary. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Over 42% of American adults are obese, with a BMI of over 30.

So I wonder what a conversation on health insurance would look like if our obesity rate were closer to 5% or 10%.

Some dipshit on X was seriously arguing with me that nobody dies from being fat.

 

[g5000]

Unfortunately, there will be no particularly good answers for health insurance as long as Americans remain so fucking fat and stationary. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Over 42% of American adults are obese, with a BMI of over 30.

I blame Earl Butz.

Not joking.

 

[jwoodie]

My personal belief about health insurance is that we should be able to pick up a telephone and call any insurer in the country, and choose a plan which works best for ourselves and our families.

This is what we do for all other insurance. Home, life, auto, renter's, you name it.

So why can't we do that with health insurance?

We can't because health insurers own our politicians and will not let that happen. They abhor competition and have bribed our government to partition our country and create health insurance zones which have a minimum of competition.

Hospital corporations are also regulated such that they can't expand across the nation.

If you were allowed to call any health insurance company, there would be fierce competition for your business. You would also be able to bundle your health insurance, like you do with all your other insurance, to get a discount.

What's more, you would not lose your job and your health insurance at the same time any more. And when you get a new job, you would not have to wait three to six months to get your new employer's insurance.

Instead, you are hostage to your employer for your health insurance. Literally a hostage to your employer.

It is a fact employer-sponsored health insurance (ESHI) bends the cost curve UP. However, labor unions want us all hostage to ESHI.

Of course, employers want us hostage, and they like the big tax write-off for providing ESHI.

This means the ability to pick up a phone and call any insurers for ourselves is never going to happen.

More in the next post, where I will provide the interesting number.

Reforming Health Insurance: Competition Across State Lines

Competition across state lines is necessary for any fundamental transformation in American health care. But the precarious financing of state individual-market risk pools, as structured by ACA, is inherently incompatible with vigorous interstate competition.

manhattan.institute

Welcome to the GOP.

 

[cnm]

Thank your lucky stars that your employer has health insurance. You are not a hostage but a beneficiary of your employer's negotiated insurance coverage. If you had to pick up a phone and call for coverage, you couldn't afford it.
This is bullshit:
"Instead, you are hostage to your employer for your health insurance. Literally a hostage to your employer.

Stockholm Syndrome. If one lives in just about any other developed nation, one doesn't even need to pick up the phone. One has health care independent of employment.

 

[dblack]

Welcome to the GOP.

Yeah? What is the GOP doing about the over-reliance on employers for health care? Actually curious. I haven't seen anything along those lines. And in my view, it's at the core of the problem.

 

[cnm]

I just want to know who the fuck made the decision to separate eye and dental from normal healthcare coverage?

What? Is this a complaint against the free market?

Doubleplus ungood, Citizen.

 

[dblack]

Stockholm Syndrome. If one lives in just about any other developed nation, one doesn't even need to pick up the phone. One has health care independent of employment.

Even worse. Dependent on government. At least you can get a different job. You really want Trump running your health insurance?

 

[cnm]

What is the GOP doing about the over-reliance on employers for health care?

Um...further enabling the status quo?

 

[cnm]

Even worse. Dependent on government. At least you can get a different job. You really want Trump running your health insurance?

I want no part of the dysfunctional US government. I live in a country where hospital care is without charge at point of contact. It is great.

Stagger into the emergency department with something broken and leave with no bill.

You are welcome to your version of society as a feeding frenzy.

 

[dblack]

I want no part of the dysfunctional US government. I live in a country where hospital care is without charge at point of contact. It is great.

That's pretty cool, but I don't think our doctors would be willing to work for free. How do you get them to do it?

 

[cnm]

That's pretty cool, but I don't think our doctors would be willing to work for free. How do you get them to do it?

They are funded by taxpayers. We get quite a few American clinicians. They love it.

 

[dblack]

They are funded by taxpayers.

Oh, so it is run by government. That certainly wouldn't work here.

 

[cnm]

Oh, so it is run by government. That certainly wouldn't work here.

No, it's been well proved government can't work there.