A few points on health care

Reader comment on: Anthem Blue Cross and Health Reform

Submitted by Bob Trebilcock (United States), Feb 22, 2010 07:01

There's a couple of short-comings in that analysis. First, new entrants - when it comes to health insurance you're not going to find new entrants at a lower cost in part because health insurance is regulated at the state level. Every state has its own requirements on the minimum coverage an insurer must provide. Second, it is true that individuals get access to better health care for their higher premiums than they did ten years ago - but that only applies to sick people. If you're an average health family that needs a routine annual physical and treatment for the occasional cold, flu or you're kids broken arm, it's irrelevant. I'm self employed. I have a high deductible policy - $7,500 every six months. There are three members in my family and no one is sick. Two of us are on one $4 a month generic prescription. Yet our annual healthcare costs (premiums plus contributin to our HSA) has doubled in 10 years from $9,000 to $18,000 a year. But no one is sick. A system where healthy people pay $18,000 a year (and a rate that doubles every ten years) and face a $15,000 a year deductible is not sustainable. That $18,000 becomes $36,000 in ten years.


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Title By Date
⇒ A few points on health care [208 words]Bob TrebilcockFeb 22, 2010 07:01
A few important points [570 words]benFeb 19, 2010 14:47

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