Very nice! I think if Obama hadn't left his balls in one of his campaign offices when he went to the White House maybe he'd have at least pushed for a consideration of something like single-payer.
As a side question: clearly insurance would be cheaper is people actually paid for minor things out of pocket rather than having insurance cover EVERYTHING. I have questions about whether or not this would ultimately be better, but I see the advantage, I see why it would be cheaper, and I can even see why it might produce better service. I have other concerns, but I think it's worth considering, and I do get it. But here's my question: most Americans would oppose such a plan outright because they're so used to insurance covering damn-near everything. What do you think it would take to change that perspective? A massive education campaign? Slow, gradual changes in that direction? What? I'm not against it, but I think if anyone proposed that plan it would be drowned before it got off the dock.
What Americans don't get is how a lot of our services are paid for. The American system is very sneaky and hides the costs of everything. Most government services are paid for with debt rather than direct taxation, because if the people were taxed directly, they would be opposed to nearly everything tax-and-spend politicians want to do.
Health care is the same way. When you buy health care independently, you are very likely to choose a plan that only gives you the coverage you need. When you buy it through your employer, you concede to spend an ungodly portion of your salary on excessive coverage. Employees NEED to know just how much health care is costing the company, so they understand how much they are paying for it. I think if most employees had an option of health care, or a $500/month raise, they'd take the cash, buy cheap health care on their own, and spend the money where they actually need it. Absolute cost visibility is vital to any healthy economy
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As a side question: clearly insurance would be cheaper is people actually paid for minor things out of pocket rather than having insurance cover EVERYTHING. I have questions about whether or not this would ultimately be better, but I see the advantage, I see why it would be cheaper, and I can even see why it might produce better service. I have other concerns, but I think it's worth considering, and I do get it. But here's my question: most Americans would oppose such a plan outright because they're so used to insurance covering damn-near everything. What do you think it would take to change that perspective? A massive education campaign? Slow, gradual changes in that direction? What? I'm not against it, but I think if anyone proposed that plan it would be drowned before it got off the dock.
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Health care is the same way. When you buy health care independently, you are very likely to choose a plan that only gives you the coverage you need. When you buy it through your employer, you concede to spend an ungodly portion of your salary on excessive coverage. Employees NEED to know just how much health care is costing the company, so they understand how much they are paying for it. I think if most employees had an option of health care, or a $500/month raise, they'd take the cash, buy cheap health care on their own, and spend the money where they actually need it. Absolute cost visibility is vital to any healthy economy ( ... )
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