4 ms·

> My understanding is that health insurance originated in this country as a means to plump up employee compensation in a situation where paying more wages was n

by uiri 10y ago

> My understanding is that health insurance originated in this country as a means to plump up employee compensation in a situation where paying more wages was not desirable. You could not entice good employees by offering them a pay raise because it bumped them up into another tax bracket and it just wasn't worth it to them. But the way health insurance got handled, if you offered them a benefits package, it increased their quality of life without the punishing extra taxes. You could not entice good employees by offering them a pay raise because it was illegal [0] This passage also reflects a possible misunderstanding of how marginal income tax brackets work. In no situation does bumping someone into a higher tax bracket result in lower net pay. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabilization_Act_of_1942 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabilization_Act_of_1942

Mz 10y ago
Thanks. I am considering doing a new piece because I get a lot of flack over details like that while people generally seem to miss the point relevant to our lives today that DPC is a legal alternative under the ACA and a genuinely better solution. I am frustrated and not sure what I need to do differently to get that across effectively. Edit: Feel free to nitpick this version: http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/01/direct-primary-care-real-alternative.html http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/01/direct-prima... Maybe I shall eventually get it right (just in time for the law to change under Trump). Thank you.
- uiri 10y ago
  Sorry, I didn't mean for my comment to be taken as a criticism of the overall piece but rather a nitpick of that particular paragraph. I agree that separating disaster/catastrophic coverage (ie: insurance ) from routine things like doctor visits (ie: health care ) is a good thing. I was aware of HDHP and HSA for the former but I did not know about DPC until you brought it to my attention with this comment thread. Thank you.
  - Mz 10y ago
    It was written somewhat off the cuff and I did frame it as "as I understand it." I was just trying to give some general historical background for why the US has gotten to where it is currently, even though what we currently do is incredibly broken. I don't know why I seem to inspire this kind of reaction in people, and maybe it isn't "me" per se, but I seem to get this a lot. And I am genuinely interested in figuring out if it is really something I do that I can somehow change. Thank you for engaging me in meaty discussion. Best.
eschutte2 10y ago
That statement is too strong and not correct. For examples of when a marginal tax rate can be over 100 percent, see the first answer here: http://money.stackexchange.com/questions/1258/why-would-you-ever-turn-down-a-raise-in-salary http://money.stackexchange.com/questions/1258/why-would-you-... and here: https://www.epionline.org/wp-content/studies/shaviro_02-1999.pdf https://www.epionline.org/wp-content/studies/shaviro_02-1999...

by uiri 10y ago

Mz 10y ago

Thanks. I am considering doing a new piece because I get a lot of flack over details like that while people generally seem to miss the point relevant to our lives today that DPC is a legal alternative under the ACA and a genuinely better solution. I am frustrated and not sure what I need to do differently to get that across effectively. Edit: Feel free to nitpick this version: http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/01/direct-primary-care-real-alternative.html http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/01/direct-prima... Maybe I shall eventually get it right (just in time for the law to change under Trump). Thank you.

uiri 10y ago
Sorry, I didn't mean for my comment to be taken as a criticism of the overall piece but rather a nitpick of that particular paragraph. I agree that separating disaster/catastrophic coverage (ie: insurance ) from routine things like doctor visits (ie: health care ) is a good thing. I was aware of HDHP and HSA for the former but I did not know about DPC until you brought it to my attention with this comment thread. Thank you.
- Mz 10y ago
  It was written somewhat off the cuff and I did frame it as "as I understand it." I was just trying to give some general historical background for why the US has gotten to where it is currently, even though what we currently do is incredibly broken. I don't know why I seem to inspire this kind of reaction in people, and maybe it isn't "me" per se, but I seem to get this a lot. And I am genuinely interested in figuring out if it is really something I do that I can somehow change. Thank you for engaging me in meaty discussion. Best.

eschutte2 10y ago

That statement is too strong and not correct. For examples of when a marginal tax rate can be over 100 percent, see the first answer here: http://money.stackexchange.com/questions/1258/why-would-you-ever-turn-down-a-raise-in-salary http://money.stackexchange.com/questions/1258/why-would-you-... and here: https://www.epionline.org/wp-content/studies/shaviro_02-1999.pdf https://www.epionline.org/wp-content/studies/shaviro_02-1999...