Comments on: Health Insurance & Portability between jobs?

By: RitchWilliams

RitchWilliams — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:16:59 +0000

Anyone can buy medical insurance. In fact, most states have an ‘appointed’ state provider. Here in Virginia that is Blue Cross. Now, the state does not tell Blue Cross how much it can charge, but it has to provide insurance. There’s the rub for me. "Oh sure, we’ll give this cancer patient insurance. We’ll charge him a million dollars a month, but we’ll insure him." But given the fact that the state doesn’t subsidies the insurance company for it’s risk and expenses, it’s tough for them to have much leverage over the price. Then, too, no organization is in the ‘lets lose money’ game. If the insurance company is going to have to pay a million a month for this patient, they’re going to HAVE TO charge something close to that to keep themselves in business. It’s simple economics.

But you and all of the candidates are only talking about one side of the equation. Payment. The thing that NO ONE is talking about or addressing is cost. No government program on Earth can affect the COST of medical care. The cost of medical care MUST be paid. You can’t and shouldn’t cut doctors and nurses salaries in half. Government isn’t subsidizing and so cannot control the cost of new drugs and technology. If the cost of medical care in America costs $1,000 the government can’t pay $500 and expect to have quality medical care.

There’s this perception that insurance companies are rolling in the money. I did the math before electing to purchase private insurance. To pay for medical care myself would have cost significantly more than the annual cost of medical insurance. They have to cover the COST of the care AND make enough profit to be a going concern.
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By: Mezmarelda

Mezmarelda — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:27:59 +0000

You can buy private health insurance right now………many people do. Give a call and get some prices (that costs nothing), we all know the biggest and greediest carriers. But hold onto your wallet, and I hope you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for supper every night.
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By: Lisa M

Lisa M — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:50:59 +0000

There are many individual plans that are available, but most are for catastrophic coverage, and not doctor’s visits or prescriptions.

Low cost health insurance is an oxymoron. The health insurance companies currently control all prices in the industry. Until something changes from their end, insurance costs will rise. And it won’t be the companies making up the difference. It will be the consumers.
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By: Johnny 2 Times

Johnny 2 Times — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:05:59 +0000

Bingo.

Combine the above mentioned portability and interstate insurance competition with tort reform, fair tax treatment for individuals purchasing insurance, and income tax deductions (or credits) for health expenses, and you will see the cost of health care dropping while the ranks of insured grow.

Market based solutions are the only option if this country wants to maintain (and improve) the quality of its health care while reducing costs.

Government based solutions may reduce costs, but it will do so by rationing and sacrificing quality.

Edit: The major reason that insurance is so opaque and expensive now is because of over-regulation. Companies are required to cover expensive procedures and treatments that do not benefit a vast majority of the policy holders (fertility treatment, drug and alcohol rehab, etc) It stands to reason then, that states requiring these treatments be covered are among the most expensive states to attain health insurance. Removing competition restrictions from insurance companies would do more to reduce costs and increase enrollment than any other solution available.
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By: civil_av8r

civil_av8r — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:54:59 +0000

you can buy your own health insurance. no one is stopping you.

http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/
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