People may tend not to believe what I say about health insurance because, well, perhaps I am biased.
So here’s what the Wall Street Journal has to say about the (alleged) mess with health insurance – and by the way, I agree with every word in this article, which is why I am sharing it with you.
First, it’s important to understand that 90%, fully 9 out of 10 working Americans, are covered under a health plan where they work. Most people are pretty happy with their plans too — they should be, given the enormous subsidies employers are forced to pay (which makes GROUP coverage seem “cheap” to those covered).
The horror stories Obama is using to scare the rest of us have nothing to do with GROUP insurance – those stories have to do with INDIVIDUAL coverage, often after someone leaves the cozy mother-nest of group coverage.
So that leaves us with only about 10% of the marketplace that has a real problem of any kind (other than cost). Give or take, that’s about 15 million people, which includes the self-employed and those who have to otherwise fend for themselves.
Several ideas Obama is proposing have already PROVEN TO BE DISASTROUS in several states; namely, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Why in the world would anyone want to take ideas proven to be bad and implement them nationally?
Fundamentally, it has to be because of a gross misunderstanding of the scope of the real problem. There is no other explanation.
In fact, however, changes proposed will actually serve to further increase, not decrease costs, both in higher premiums AND higher taxes.
Will they system then be “fixed?”
Of course not – many people will be forced to simply opt out and “pay the fine.” Then what?
The cycle will get even more vicious – that’s what!
Here’s to hoping that more informative articles such as this one from WSJ will help people understand that the scope of the fix should be narrowed to more closely fit the scope of the problem.
Stop using your health insurance!
Over-utilization is the concept that too much of something is being used, or utilized. As it applies to health care, over-utilization is another one of (way too) many behind-the-scenes reasons why health care costs are so out of control.
A big reason for this is that current benefits rich plans do little if anything to discourage usage. Low co-pays encourage people to go more often even when over the counter stuff would work as well. Fee for service in Medicare encourages extra visits so the docs can pay for their fine Lexus automobiles. And the list goes on.
Here’s an article from townhall.com that provides more details if you’re interested.