Health Care Reform: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

[mijan]

The Good: 
- Private health insurance can't deny you for a pre-existing condition under this bill.
- You can't be dropped from a policy because you get sick.
- If you have insurance, they can't "cap" your coverage and say "you've been sick enough now, so we're not paying any more."

The Bad:
- It's not REAL universal health care.  YES, I am "one of those" who fully wants this backwards country to switch to a single-payer system like Canada's system.  I think anything less is a travesty - humiliating and ludicrous.  Time to join the modern world, people.
- Because it's not real UHC, this will do nothing to help the over-complicated network of insurers and the grossly high overhead costs of the health care system.
- Private insurance still rules our health care system.  I'm sorry, but for-profit health "insurance" is a crime against humanity, as far as I'm concerned.
- Nothing to attenuate costs of malpractice insurance, which is putting even GOOD doctors out of business, even if they've never been sued for malpractice.

The Ugly:
- Fining people for not having health insurance.  WTF?!?  I'm sorry, but for the self-employed to have to afford policies on their own when they're BARELY making ends meet... this is going to bankrupt many individuals.  That's STUPID.


Want to chime in with your thoughts?  Go for it, but no flaming.  Civil discourse, please.  Actual facts, please.  Insight from those who live in countries with UHC are welcomed and encouraged to share their experiences.

Comments

[scabbyfish.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I unfortunately know little-to-nothing about the US healthcare system (I'm in the UK myself *pets the NHS*) but Fining people for not having health insurance made me boggle enough that I had to comment. Just - what? I don't even. How is that logical? oO

[mijan.livejournal.com]

It's not. NOTHING about our system is logical. Not now, and not with the "reform" bill either. I'm not on EITHER party's side right now. They're all being stupid douche-bags.

[rina-riku.livejournal.com]

Forcing everyone to have health insurance is basically making people pay to live. The big reason for making everyone pay for health insurance is thta only people who are healthy and don't go to the doctor often make the insurance companies money.

[affreca.livejournal.com]

It is logical in the sense that it gets more people to play. In the current system, not having insurance is a type of gambling - will you stay healthy. If you do, you win because you don't have to pay anything. If you get sick (cancer, car wreck), you're screwed. You get to spend your own money until you run out, file for bankruptcy, get put one Medicaid, and hope that you get enough medical care that you don't die.

Supposedly, there will be subsidies to help poorer people afford insurance. I believe they are also increasing the number of people eligible for Medicaid.

So there is a logic to it, just not an obvious logic.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I know that health insurance is gambling. That's one of the reasons I hate it.

There's logic in only the most illogical way. It's taking the most complex, cumbersome approach to something that could and should be much more simple.

But still, it would be much MORE logical if everyone were to pay into a not-for-profit, PUBLIC, single-payer fund, which would then be used directly to pay for health care, which would continue to be run privately as it is now (and as it is in Canada).

[affreca.livejournal.com]

I'd love single payer. But I'm not going to get it, just like I'm not going to get the US to stop starting small wars. The block of people who don't want to give up what they have is to big. So we're stuck with trying to reform an imperfect system. I

Sadly then, the only way to get universal coverage is to have mandated coverage.


Starting in 2014, most Americans will be required to buy health insurance or pay a penalty.

*

The penalty will be phased in, starting at 1 percent of income in 2014, and rising to the maximum of $2,085 for a family in 2016.
*

American Indians donâ™t have to buy insurance. Those with religious objections or a financial hardship can also avoid the requirement. And if you would pay more than 8 percent of your income for the cheapest available plan, you will not be penalized for failing to buy coverage.
*

Those who are exempt, or under 30, can buy a policy that only pays for catastrophic medical costs. It must allow for three primary care visits a year as well.


http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/21/us/health-care-reform.html

[gmonkey42.livejournal.com]

It's not logical at all, it's a sop to the insurance companies who are whining about not being allowed to screw their customers quite as much as they have been. The government actually forcing people to buy something from a private company: it blows my mind that they're getting away with this.

[ias.livejournal.com]

It's not revolutionary.

Surely you have to have insurance for your car? To drive without car insurance is illegal (at least it is here in the UK and the rest of the EU afaik) and you will be fined if caught, yet all car insurance is provided by private companies.

In many other European companies you have to buy health insurance (here in the UK we pay for the NHS through our taxes) as a legal requirement, sometimes through state owned companies, sometimes from private health insurers. It's not such an unusual requirement.

[tamerterra.livejournal.com]

But you don't have to have car insurance - you can choose to not have a car. (This may, in certain areas, be more hassle/expense than having the car and having to pay it's insurance.) We don't get a choice about having a body that needs maintainance.

[ias.livejournal.com]

The government actually forcing people to buy something from a private company: it blows my mind that they're getting away with this.

Was what gmonkey42 said. I was countering with the fact that actually governments the world over require citizens to buy insurance from private companies already, namely for car insurance.

It also happens that in several European countries with UHC, the model is that all citiziens have to buy health insurance either from state-owned companies or private, usually not-for-profit, companies (although here in the UK we pay for our healthcare within the tax system but that is never going to happen in the States).