4 ms·

I am about half way through this book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00957T4QK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_CEVqzb6T0MXJH https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00957T4QK/ref=cm_sw_r_c

I am about half way through this book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00957T4QK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_CEVqzb6T0MXJH https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00957T4QK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_CEV... And I think it makes many good points about our health care system. Thinking about why I don't use geico insurance for routine maintenance on my car was a very interesting thought experiment.

TuringNYC 9y ago
I see what you are getting at (i.e., health insurance should be for catastrophic events rather than routine visits.) The problem is that in the US, routine visit costs are wildly inflated. Try going in to get a vaccine or a cold and you get wildly dispersed and large quotes. This is because the insurance system is two things in one: a real insurance plan + a negotiated ratecard. When you go for routine/preventative care with insurance, you get fairly reasonable values on the rate card -- without it, they can (and usually do) charge you anything, and often you don't even know the cost until afterwards. Until there are realistic rates for simple/routine/preventative needs, I don't see how insurance can be restricted to catastrophic cases only.
- michaelchisari 9y ago
  health insurance should be for catastrophic events rather than routine visits But routine visits often severely reduce the rate of catastrophic events. Catching cancers early, assessing risk factors, etc.
  - johnwatson11218 9y ago
    Like I mentioned in the top comment, I'm still reading the book, so I'm interested to see how things like moral hazard and preventative care are addressed. In the first chapter he advocates splitting our system into two parts. The first would be government supplied cradle to grave health insurance that only covers unexpected, catastrophic events. The idea being that 90% of the population would never even file a claim. For everything else the author recommends the free market with doctors and providers competing for our business. He gives the example of LASIK eye surgery. Apparently it isn't covered by insurance and has to be paid for with cash. After 20 years you can find it as low as $299 in some cities while some doctors charge more and claim to offer a higher quality service. I'm still not clear on how a bad lifestyle that leads to diabetes which leads to foot amputation would be dealt with under this system but I'm enjoying the book anyway.
FLGMwt 9y ago
I just finished "An American Sickness" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594206759 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594206759) that does a good job of targeting all the specific points of inefficiency, with a little bit of explanatory history and exemplary anecdote sprinkled in.

TuringNYC 9y ago

I see what you are getting at (i.e., health insurance should be for catastrophic events rather than routine visits.) The problem is that in the US, routine visit costs are wildly inflated. Try going in to get a vaccine or a cold and you get wildly dispersed and large quotes. This is because the insurance system is two things in one: a real insurance plan + a negotiated ratecard. When you go for routine/preventative care with insurance, you get fairly reasonable values on the rate card -- without it, they can (and usually do) charge you anything, and often you don't even know the cost until afterwards. Until there are realistic rates for simple/routine/preventative needs, I don't see how insurance can be restricted to catastrophic cases only.

michaelchisari 9y ago
health insurance should be for catastrophic events rather than routine visits But routine visits often severely reduce the rate of catastrophic events. Catching cancers early, assessing risk factors, etc.
- johnwatson11218 9y ago
  Like I mentioned in the top comment, I'm still reading the book, so I'm interested to see how things like moral hazard and preventative care are addressed. In the first chapter he advocates splitting our system into two parts. The first would be government supplied cradle to grave health insurance that only covers unexpected, catastrophic events. The idea being that 90% of the population would never even file a claim. For everything else the author recommends the free market with doctors and providers competing for our business. He gives the example of LASIK eye surgery. Apparently it isn't covered by insurance and has to be paid for with cash. After 20 years you can find it as low as $299 in some cities while some doctors charge more and claim to offer a higher quality service. I'm still not clear on how a bad lifestyle that leads to diabetes which leads to foot amputation would be dealt with under this system but I'm enjoying the book anyway.

FLGMwt 9y ago

I just finished "An American Sickness" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594206759 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594206759) that does a good job of targeting all the specific points of inefficiency, with a little bit of explanatory history and exemplary anecdote sprinkled in.