User Health Savings Accounts

[Ray9]

While the democrats are wheeling out patients in wheelchairs to protest the republican healthcare plan reasonable people might want to consider the reality of healthcare costs and what we could really do to rein them in. First we must understand why so many people are so sick that they overwhelm our healthcare system. We don’t have to look far. The two biggest players in America’s poor health are Alcohol and tobacco.


Some expert estimates say that up to forty percent of US hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from the complications of alcohol use. Liver disease, liver cancer, cancer of the esophagus, heart disease, chronic brain wasting, auto accidents, you name it. That’s just alcohol. If you factor in tobacco use as well with its destruction to the heart and lungs you could probably account for seventy five percent of all the medical expenses in the country.


We know prohibition doesn’t work and we don’t need more taxes on these products but there is another way. We can put the burden of the staggering costs onto the users of alcohol and nicotine in a way that benefits them directly.


First we must take alcohol and tobacco products off the cash shelves in stores and require a special health card to purchase them. Then we must increase the cost of all alcohol and tobacco products by fifty percent. If a six pack of beer costs six dollars today it would increase to nine dollars. A pack of cigarettes costing nine dollars would increase to thirteen fifty. That’s the bad news.


The good news is that every cent of the extra money paid by the user would go into a health savings account in the user’s name that collects interest until the user develops the serious health issue that will surely come. We could call it the “User Healthcare Savings Account”.


This could actually work and the money would pile up in accounts all over the country to pay for the medical issues that are breaking us. And don’t worry about absurd arguments that it would discriminate against the poor. There is no “right” in the Constitution for a citizen to destroy his heart, his liver and his lungs.


You know what? This is direct way to use corporate America and the common citizen to attack the healthcare crisis together. It’s a way better plan than crooked politicians can think of.

 

[Penelope]

Its called sin tax. I like it. Goes for pot, pop, and sweets, but then where do we stop? We need to tax the heck out of guns too, as bullets do not remove themselves and people who get shot usually do not have health insurance.

 

[RodISHI]

Its called sin tax. I like it. Goes for pot, pop, and sweets, but then where do we stop?

We stop by paying for peoples medical care that have lived with risky behaviors of their own accord. Six adults drawing medical medical pensions of over eighteen hundred dollars a month because mom was an alcoholic is bullshit. I personally believe it is total bullshit when a female retires she gets a minimum amount (less than eight hundred a month for many) that won't sustain her but an adult child that screwed themselves up with drugs can file and get more than twice the amount and medical care on top of that which many retirees don't even get.

I heard some gal at church telling me how awful it would be if her employers insurance would allow her to keep her drugged out adult daughter on their insurance plan. Why according to her they simply couldn't afford to pay for her screwed up daughters meds to keep her off the streets. Why should other people have to pay the price for her daughters screwed up ways?

 

[Ray9]

The beauty of this idea is that the people would pay into their own health plan willingly and would benefit directly.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

First we must take alcohol and tobacco products off the cash shelves in stores and require a special health card to purchase them. Then we must increase the cost of all alcohol and tobacco products by fifty percent. If a six pack of beer costs six dollars today it would increase to nine dollars. A pack of cigarettes costing nine dollars would increase to thirteen fifty. That’s the bad news.

Sure sounds like the "land of the free" to me.

 

[RodISHI]

First we must take alcohol and tobacco products off the cash shelves in stores and require a special health card to purchase them. Then we must increase the cost of all alcohol and tobacco products by fifty percent. If a six pack of beer costs six dollars today it would increase to nine dollars. A pack of cigarettes costing nine dollars would increase to thirteen fifty. That’s the bad news.

Sure sounds like the "land of the free" to me.

Yep except that tax the crap out of smokes and beer part.

 

[Penelope]

First we must take alcohol and tobacco products off the cash shelves in stores and require a special health card to purchase them. Then we must increase the cost of all alcohol and tobacco products by fifty percent. If a six pack of beer costs six dollars today it would increase to nine dollars. A pack of cigarettes costing nine dollars would increase to thirteen fifty. That’s the bad news.

Sure sounds like the "land of the free" to me.

You mean pay your way. The 2 questions they asked on the ACA is do you smoke, and age. See the older a person was on the ACA the more they paid and also they paid extra for smoking.

 

[RodISHI]

First we must take alcohol and tobacco products off the cash shelves in stores and require a special health card to purchase them. Then we must increase the cost of all alcohol and tobacco products by fifty percent. If a six pack of beer costs six dollars today it would increase to nine dollars. A pack of cigarettes costing nine dollars would increase to thirteen fifty. That’s the bad news.

Sure sounds like the "land of the free" to me.

You mean pay your way. The 2 questions they asked on the ACA is do you smoke, and age. See the older a person was on the ACA the more they paid and also they paid extra for smoking.

We don't need middlemen skimming off the top for they can live in luxury off of everyone's else medical care funds.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

First we must take alcohol and tobacco products off the cash shelves in stores and require a special health card to purchase them. Then we must increase the cost of all alcohol and tobacco products by fifty percent. If a six pack of beer costs six dollars today it would increase to nine dollars. A pack of cigarettes costing nine dollars would increase to thirteen fifty. That’s the bad news.

Sure sounds like the "land of the free" to me.

You mean pay your way. The 2 questions they asked on the ACA is do you smoke, and age. See the older a person was on the ACA the more they paid and also they paid extra for smoking.

That I have no problem with. That isn't what the OP is suggesting.

 

[Ray9]

First we must take alcohol and tobacco products off the cash shelves in stores and require a special health card to purchase them. Then we must increase the cost of all alcohol and tobacco products by fifty percent. If a six pack of beer costs six dollars today it would increase to nine dollars. A pack of cigarettes costing nine dollars would increase to thirteen fifty. That’s the bad news.

Sure sounds like the "land of the free" to me.

Actually people could smoke and drink to their heart's content. It would cost more but the extra money would pay for their healthcare.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

First we must take alcohol and tobacco products off the cash shelves in stores and require a special health card to purchase them. Then we must increase the cost of all alcohol and tobacco products by fifty percent. If a six pack of beer costs six dollars today it would increase to nine dollars. A pack of cigarettes costing nine dollars would increase to thirteen fifty. That’s the bad news.

Sure sounds like the "land of the free" to me.

Actually people could smoke and drink to their heart's content. It would cost more but the extra money would pay for their healthcare.

What you suggestion is Orwellian and would be damn near impossible to enforce, not to mention extremely expensive. It wouldn't save anyone any money.

 

[RodISHI]

First we must take alcohol and tobacco products off the cash shelves in stores and require a special health card to purchase them. Then we must increase the cost of all alcohol and tobacco products by fifty percent. If a six pack of beer costs six dollars today it would increase to nine dollars. A pack of cigarettes costing nine dollars would increase to thirteen fifty. That’s the bad news.

Sure sounds like the "land of the free" to me.

Actually people could smoke and drink to their heart's content. It would cost more but the extra money would pay for their healthcare.

Only if those tax dollars are specifically designated as being off limits for anything else.

 

[Ray9]

My guess is that surpluses would build up in accounts of many people. They should be able to pass that money on to another person in another health account.

 

[mgh80]

If you want to tax alcohol and smoking, fine. Start taxing potato chips, McDonald's as well though. I eat an extremely clean diet and am in great shape-why should I pay for some fat ass who can't keep themselves from scarfing down burgers?