Healthcare Premiums Become More Expensive for the Uninsured?

Interesting article written by an MD. Would the current proposals in Congress actually help a huge portion of the uninsured, or make it more difficult to obtain coverage? The large portion of the uninsured are young adults, in their 20's, who are relatively healthy and don't require a lot of healthcare. Yet, if they are forced to buy insurance, they will have to pay the premiums that less healthy (older) people pay. This would basically become a bunch of wasted insurance premiums, paid by us taxpayers.

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Yep. Right now Moral Hazard works in favor of those young people who have the ability to opt out of health care altogether. I'm in favor of freedom, and sometimes that means the freedom to risk your financial future by not carrying health insurance. President Obama changed his position on mandates after he was elected. I'm certain he saw the numbers and realized that ensuring all these extra people had to be borne by those who otherwise wouldn't carry insurance because they don't tend to need it.

 

That is because KFC lowered their prices, it is all over the tv. The insurance people aren't stupid, they know that.......


More KFC=More sickies.

 

our premiums didnt go up at all here in canada

as for the topic- young ppl also engage in more reckless behaviour than anyone else so when they get in a fight in the entertainment district and they are rushed to the hospital, maxiep (the only taxpayer in america) pays for their stupidity.

 

And you don't think this is already accounted for in their premiums? You seem to know things that the insurance companies don't. You should be rich!

 

That's because young people are included with the "wealthy".

 

I put this in another thread but everyone has ignored it so far. I was searching for info on my gallbladder as I recently had mine removed (feel fucking awesome now by the way) and came across this bit of info.

http://www.healthboards.com/boards/...=feel great after gallbladder surgery&page=11

It is post number 54, I don't believe this website is a political site in any way. I will copy the part I am talking about below.......If this is free healthcare you are paying too much


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My horror story pertains only to the fact that I had to rely on the Canadian medical system. I had gall bladder attacks for three months strait and had to live on apple juice and jello, but still they refused to send me for so much as an ultrasound. At age 28 apparently I was "too young" to have gall bladder problems. Finally I went to a naturopath for help. He gave me meds to supposedly slowly dissolve the stones naturally. Within about an hour of taking the meds I got a stone lodged in the duct and went into convulsions. That sent me to the ER where they plugged me full of Percoset. Ya, apparently I'm allergic to it. So, went home, was up sick and hallucinating all night, and back to the ER in the morning and finally admited. Spent a couple of weeks on morphine on a dirty gurney in the ER (no beds available), and finally turned yellow before they were able to book a surgery. They managed to do the lap surgery, but it was complicated, and I required a whole month to recover. Took about three more before I was back to normal. Fun stuff!! lol

Anyway, despite the pathetic medical system, I did manage to have a decent surgeon who did a good job. I had IBS prior to the surgery, and if anything, it's actually a little better since. I've had no problems since and could eat pretty much anything right after. Though having not eaten for several months, I was very careful in waking up my system in the beginning.

One thing I wanted to point out for those who haven't decided to have it removed: if you have stones, drink apple juice. It softens the stones. Not saying they'll pass or anything, but at least it helps with pain. Be sure to brush your teeth after you drink it though, as it has the same corosive effect on teeth as it does on the stones.

 

Man, every time I post this it kills the thread. hmmmm

 

No. We have 10 times as many citizens as Canada. We have more diversity, in terms of race, income, education, etc. It makes delivering those services exponentially more difficult. Unlike other countries who enacted public health care, our debt level is already at dangerous levels. Other countries have high levels of debt BECAUSE of their health care system. What happens when we throw this albatross on our already exploding budget deficit?

Our private sector is what makes us special. Our government is as inefficient and lazy as the rest of the world's.

 

how many unpaved roads have u driven on? how many times have the mob harassed u? how many seniors do u know dieing prematurely because their socialized medicine (medicare) isnt working? do your heroes (the vets) come back and go broke paying for medical bills like millions of americans? did madoff get u or did the govt intervene before he could defraud more ppl? and if dont like govt so much- why dont u move to somalia. they have no govt but ive heard they have a flourishing private sector, specializing in small arms sales; abductions; piracy and organ trading.

 

oh yeah and canada only really hit the red with this recession under a conservative govt. the liberals here in the 90's cut very efficiently and got us a surplus which the tories managed to squander a decade later.

 

None of what you wrote counters the accusation that our government is lazy and inefficient.

 

Yeah but we have a kick ass military.

 

o'canada motherfuckers!!! maxiep, remember the war of 1812?

 

maybe corporations are lazy and inefficient, maybe thats why every US corporations wants a bailout.

 

And? Part of the problem with anecdotal evidence that many people like to throw around here is that you can almost always find an exception to the rule. You want me to find some American health care horror stories? That would be EASY. That's why the analysis more often looks at an overall situation. The problem that currently exists is that no one can agree on an objective measure of what is a good health care system and when they do agree on something the results are interpreted a million different ways.