Addressing the fining people angle - it is the stick to get healthy people to buy into the system, i.e. get everyone covered by some health insurance. Insurance works by having people without need of health care pay for those who do. The trick is that people change between those states, and often without warning. Those barely making ends meets are supposed to get subsidies to help them afford coverage, and it should protect them from going into bankruptcy when shit hits the fan.
Another way to think of it is that it would be the taxes you'd pay for a single payer system.
Downside is, I'm not sure there will be a self pay insurance option that will be affordable enough. Non employer insurance costs are highly variable (Lawnchair and I had a high dectuctable plan in KS at $120 a month for the two of us, but that was the perfect storm of KS low regulations and young people with apparently good health, vs. the thousands a month for COBRA I've known people to pay).
So, I don't know. There were some stabs at making the system better (using MA as the template). I'm afraid it was the best plan that could be passed. We'll see if it works.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-03-22 04:01 pm (UTC)Another way to think of it is that it would be the taxes you'd pay for a single payer system.
Downside is, I'm not sure there will be a self pay insurance option that will be affordable enough. Non employer insurance costs are highly variable (Lawnchair and I had a high dectuctable plan in KS at $120 a month for the two of us, but that was the perfect storm of KS low regulations and young people with apparently good health, vs. the thousands a month for COBRA I've known people to pay).
So, I don't know. There were some stabs at making the system better (using MA as the template). I'm afraid it was the best plan that could be passed. We'll see if it works.