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> denying helping people with pre-existing conditions This is literally the definition of insurance: insurance is a pool of risk, entered into by a large numb
by belovedeagle 10y ago
> denying helping people with pre-existing conditions
This is literally the definition of insurance: insurance is a pool of risk, entered into by a large number of people who have not incurred a certain rare circumstance, against the possibility of them encountering that circumstance. This isn't insurance companies being greedy! What if all insurance worked this way?
- jmiwhite 10y agoHealth insurance is different from most other forms of insurance, though - auto insurance, for example, doesn't pay for oil changes to mitigate the risk of expense of future liability claims.
- ZeroGravitas 10y agoAt least in my country it is very common for auto insurance companies to pay to have windscreen chips repaired, as it's cheaper than waiting for the whole window to fail (possibly causing am accident in the process).
- jmiwhite 10y agoTrue, but that's still not preventative any more than a tooth filling is (Sorry, switched industries, but I think it still makes sense).
- thatcat 10y agoautomobile risk avoidance is a lot less complex than health risk avoidance - a lot more people change their own oil than draw their own blood. Also, oil changes would only mitigate the risk of early engine failure which wouldn't be covered by typical policies.
- jmiwhite 10y agoOkay, that was a bad example. I've never carried comprehensive/collision insurance, so I mistakenly thought there was coverage for mechanical failures. As you stated, this is not common.
- thefastlane 10y agoi think the dictionary definition of 'insurance' is beside the point. this is really about sustainable ways ('sustainable' comes with many facets to be considered, to be sure) to ensure health care is provided to society and how we shape/modify our social contract to attain that.
- ZeroGravitas 10y agoThis would be like car insurance covering you for damage incurred in the first 5 seconds of a crash, or the first inch of a flood, and then declaring everything that happens afterwards as a "pre-existing condition".
- pkulak 10y agoEh, I don't see my health insurance as "insurance". I see the company as my health care "agent". When I get sick, I'm not in any position to negotiate or compare prices between providers, so I'm going to rely on the negotiating that my insurance company has already done on my behalf. And what better way to ensure that my agent is really trying their best to get the best price for me? Make them pay the cost and I'll pay a set monthly fee for everything.
- bmm6o 10y agoIt's true, but what this really demonstrates is that insurance is not the best model for delivering healthcare. Unfortunately it's our starting point in the US and a more fundamental change is not politically tenable now (or in the foreseeable future), so we have to take what incremental improvements we can get.