Public health insurance option

[The Gorn]

What I can't understand is why every employer in the country isn't beating on Congress to get them to disconnect insurance from employment. All the   plans seem to be doing the exact opposite -- they force employers to provide coverage. Even if there is a tax break for the poor, how does that help someone   who is unemployed?

I can only fall back on an overused adjective: the system is clearly dysfunctional.

[DG9]

I can not see employer purchased health insurance coverage sticking around much longer, it is a cost that can be cut.  The economic climate is ripe for this to happen.

[John Masterson]

Today I was listening to a history of how the current health care/ insurance industry came about.

During WWII there were strict price and wage controls. Since employers could not offer higher wages to attract new workers, they started loading on the benefits...such as paid health insurance.  Then in 1954 Congress passed a law that said that health insurance benefits were exempt from taxes.

And that's pretty much how it got established.

All my clients are medical device companies. I personally benefit from all the money that flows into this dysfunctional system. I can charge a lot and they don't complain, since they are basically rich companies.

But if the current private insurer system doesn't change and lower costs, the country will certainly go broke paying for end-of-life care for aging baby boomers.


My guess is it will, and my medical work will become less lucrative for me as the pipeline of money coming in is reduced.

[Richardk]

Even though it's a tax write off for companies, it still costs them money. Less for insurance means more in their pockets, so you'd think they would be all over this.

But be careful of what you ask for.

I know of people that change jobs because they max out their health insurance, so the only way to continue is to start over with another employer / insurer combination. What happens if the insurance follows you, instead of being stuck to an employer?

Companies also have buying power and have to provide equal coverage to employees. So another person is uninsurable but once they marry, their spouses insurance will cover them. Again what happens if the policy follows you and there's no 'employer clout'?

It's one thing to have a provider when you have nothing else but totally another if we eliminate the current system. I don't think anyone is proposing that.

[TRexx]

I know of people that change jobs because they max out their health insurance, so the only way to continue is to start over with another employer / insurer   combination.

And I know people that stick in dead end, low paying jobs because they are afraid they can't get insurance elsewhere.  I know a teacher who was not offered a contract this year because she had racked up considerable medical claims.  The school's carrier said that if they kept her, their premiums would increase 30%.

[Richardk]

I know a teacher who was not offered a contract this year because she had racked up considerable medical claims. The school's carrier said that if they   kept her, their premiums would increase 30%.

That's a strange position to be in. You get canned because your "benefits" are too expensive for the company.

Performance isn't even a factor here in keeping your job. I wonder what's next? Something like everyone with too much vacation time? "We can't afford all your time off, so we're letting you go."