Comments on: THE HIGH COST OF HEALTH INSURANCE http://www.healthcarebs.com/2008/02/11/the-high-cost-of-health-insurance/ Cleaning the Augean Stables of the Health Care Debate Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:44:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: drmatt http://www.healthcarebs.com/2008/02/11/the-high-cost-of-health-insurance/#comment-34044 drmatt Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:59:46 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2008/02/11/the-high-cost-of-health-insurance/#comment-34044 I have to agree with scott. Though David, you are right, health insurances prices would come down, because they wouldn't cover expensive health care or sick people, it would be really great to pay 30% less for insurance to get 70% less service or value from it. I would like to add that any poor soul who believes that there is only one thing contributing to the high cost of health insurance should put down thier pen and pick up thier reading glasses. Oh and about those regulations, just wondering, who benefited from EMTALA put in place so that we could get emergency care despite our ability to pay? What about HIPPA? who made out on the ability to continue to buy health insurance despite losing your job? What about COBRA, who made out on that pesky rule that stopped rich private hospitals from dumping poor sick patients on community hospitals? OH, right Medicare, seems to me medicare absorbed some of the riskier people from the health ins market, shouldnt that actually bring down the cost of health care based on your "laws" of economics, sort of like flood insurance (provided only by FEMA)??? I have to agree with scott. Though David, you are right, health insurances prices would come down, because they wouldn’t cover expensive health care or sick people, it would be really great to pay 30% less for insurance to get 70% less service or value from it. I would like to add that any poor soul who believes that there is only one thing contributing to the high cost of health insurance should put down thier pen and pick up thier reading glasses. Oh and about those regulations, just wondering, who benefited from EMTALA put in place so that we could get emergency care despite our ability to pay? What about HIPPA? who made out on the ability to continue to buy health insurance despite losing your job? What about COBRA, who made out on that pesky rule that stopped rich private hospitals from dumping poor sick patients on community hospitals? OH, right Medicare, seems to me medicare absorbed some of the riskier people from the health ins market, shouldnt that actually bring down the cost of health care based on your “laws” of economics, sort of like flood insurance (provided only by FEMA)???

]]> By: Matt Horn http://www.healthcarebs.com/2008/02/11/the-high-cost-of-health-insurance/#comment-33955 Matt Horn Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:24:46 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2008/02/11/the-high-cost-of-health-insurance/#comment-33955 Hi Jeff, free market cure has a great breakdown of the uninsured that you should see. It is a video called Uninsured in America and is a real eye opener when talking to people who are a little unfamiliar with the concept that the uninsured may be uninsured by choice not ability. Maybe Catron could get some linky goodness. Hi Jeff, free market cure has a great breakdown of the uninsured that you should see. It is a video called Uninsured in America and is a real eye opener when talking to people who are a little unfamiliar with the concept that the uninsured may be uninsured by choice not ability. Maybe Catron could get some linky goodness.

]]> By: Jeff Lapides http://www.healthcarebs.com/2008/02/11/the-high-cost-of-health-insurance/#comment-33415 Jeff Lapides Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:55:20 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2008/02/11/the-high-cost-of-health-insurance/#comment-33415 Mr. Catron: I thought you might be interested in my analysis of the uninsured that can be found on my website, http://www.politicalsunshine.com. The oft-quoted number of over 40 million uninsured includes everybody who is uninsured. That includes wealthy people who self-insure, young adults who choose to take the risk, people temporarily in-between jobs, people eligible for government programs that are not aware of it AND the children of all of these people. My own estimate is that the number of people who want but cannot obtain insurance could be half of the gross number reported. . . still a problem but not nearly as big. I recall you did an estimate at some time. Here are some of the sources for people to understand where the estimates come from. Jeff Lapides Mr. Catron:
I thought you might be interested in my analysis of the uninsured that can be found on my website, http://www.politicalsunshine.com. The oft-quoted number of over 40 million uninsured includes everybody who is uninsured. That includes wealthy people who self-insure, young adults who choose to take the risk, people temporarily in-between jobs, people eligible for government programs that are not aware of it AND the children of all of these people.

My own estimate is that the number of people who want but cannot obtain insurance could be half of the gross number reported. . . still a problem but not nearly as big.

I recall you did an estimate at some time. Here are some of the sources for people to understand where the estimates come from.

Jeff Lapides

]]> By: Scott http://www.healthcarebs.com/2008/02/11/the-high-cost-of-health-insurance/#comment-32893 Scott Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:35:51 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2008/02/11/the-high-cost-of-health-insurance/#comment-32893 "If we let insurance companies decide which products to offer the public, while opening up the market so that insurers must compete for our business, the cost of health insurance will go down and a big driver of health care inflation will disappear." Yeah, the cost will go down because they (insurance companies) will only compete for the healthy people. No regulation and only healthy people insured…. Now that’s a wet dream for your local CEO. “If we let insurance companies decide which products to offer the public, while opening up the market so that insurers must compete for our business, the cost of health insurance will go down and a big driver of health care inflation will disappear.”

Yeah, the cost will go down because they (insurance companies) will only compete for the healthy people.

No regulation and only healthy people insured…. Now that’s a wet dream for your local CEO.

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