Quote:
Originally Posted by Ferd
On the subject of Obama care, what everyone needs to understand here is that Obamacare was never intended to be a solution. Mr Obama clearly stated the objective before he became president when he said getting to a single payer system would have to be done a step at a time and would take 15 years.
What Obamacare was meant to do is to break the system so that the people would demand a fix.... a fix that could only go in one direction.
Obama care is causing large companies to lay off people. to cut thier full time workforce and have larger numbers of part time people, and in some cases like John Deere and my company (one of the Fourtune 10) to state that eliminating health benifits and just paying the penalty would save them billions per year.
The goal of Obamacare is to drive more and more people into the government exchanges to the point that it becomes unprofitable for insurance companies to offer private insurance. at that point we get a single payer system and 100% of the medical industry becomes federalized.... that would be about 1/6th of the economy.
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Ferd... here's my issue with health care. Right now... a person without insurance or any way to pay can rush to the ER for immediate treatment for injuries and various illnesses. They get billed. They don't pay that bill. And the cost shifting begins (study health care cost shifting). Providers then increase health care costs to make up for the losses incured by those who don't pay, or are slow pay. That causes insurers to increase premiums to cover increased costs. The uninsured people rushing to the ER don't pay a dime AND OUR HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS INCREASE EVERY YEAR AS THE NUMBER OF UNINSURED INCREASE.
Imagine if a car lot was run this way. Someone without the money for a car shows up and they are given a car and billed for it. They dont pay their bill. What will happen to the cost of cars in that car lot Ferd??? They will increase to make up for the loss incured by giving away so many cars. It would eventually go out of business because the cost of cars would increase to the point that nobody would buy one. This is why a car lot will not give you a car unless you can pay for it or a third party has lent you the money to buy it.
So the "Free Market" model really DOESN'T bode well with health care. Because ordinarily a person who can't pay is denied service. Try going to a restaurant and ordering food, informing them that you can't pay, and you'll see what I mean. You'll be denied food. In health care... we don't do that. We treat everyone in the ERs even if they can't pay.
Also... if you pass out on the sidewalk tomorrow... you'll be rushed by ambulance to... the emergency room. Even if your conservative little soul doesn't have insurance and would rather not go to the ER. Car accident... those involved are automatically rushed to a hospital and treated for injuries... even if unconscious and uninsured.
Imagine that a car lot rushed out and gave a car to stranded people, even if they couldn't pay. LOL!!! It wouldn't be sustainable. Stranded people would have to pay for a rental... or ... find another way... like walking or hitchiking.
So the "Free Market" model for health care doesn't really work. It can only work if we DENY services to those unable to pay up front or don't have insurance. Period. Now, that would be truly "Free Market" health care. But MOST wouldn't go for denying treatment unless consented to or able to pay. So we're stuck with a system available to EVERYONE, even if they pay NOTHING for it. Therefore it makes sense to... MAKE EVERYONE PAY INTO THE SYSTEM (or at least as many as possible).
So... there ya have it. Deny treatment to those who can't pay (truly free market service)... or go to a single payer system wherein a service available to all is paid for by the *vast majority*.
I say "vast majority" because the homeless and utterly destitute aren't going to be able to pay into the system. That's a no brainer.