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>Their issue is a moral one, whether they should ever pay into a health care pool for the benefit of other people. We already do. It's called private insuranc

by sjg007 7y ago

>Their issue is a moral one, whether they should ever pay into a health care pool for the benefit of other people. We already do. It's called private insurance. We also pay into medicaid and medicare.

wayoutthere 7y ago
That would be great, except a large percentage of the country doesn’t make enough money to afford insurance. So they go to the ER (the most expensive form of care) and end up neck-deep in medical debt from routine health issues. Even when you can afford it, an increasing number of doctors are refusing to accept insurance. These doctors tend to be more highly regarded and provide a higher standard of care because they’re not shackled to a computer doing insurance paperwork half the day. So even with the system we have, insurance isn’t really worth it unless you have chronic health issues. This becomes a feedback loop of increasing prices and decreasing benefits for all but the most expensive patients. Profit is a moral hazard in health care.
- creaghpatr 7y ago
  Lack of profit a deadlier hazard.
- sjg007 7y ago
  That's not what I said. I am saying it's not a moral issue. We already pay! We already accept that we have to pay!
  - wayoutthere 7y ago
    The moral hazard isn’t in paying for it, it’s in how the profit motive multiplied across dozens of middlemen is corrosive to the quality of the system. We’re paying for it regardless, but we pay a lot more under the current system because we have to support perpetual growth of every company in the value chain.
JustSomeNobody 7y ago
That's not the same thing. Other "hard working" people are paying into private ins along with you. The poor don't because their hours are capped at 30 so they'll never get health insurance. Therefore they're not contributing, therefore they don't deserve it. Note: This is not my position on the matter. Just trying to explain the difference. Edit: Regarding Medicaid and Medicare - believe me, people would love to see Medicaid go also. I think they're OK-ish with Medicare because they know they'll get old at some point.

by sjg007 7y ago

wayoutthere 7y ago

That would be great, except a large percentage of the country doesn’t make enough money to afford insurance. So they go to the ER (the most expensive form of care) and end up neck-deep in medical debt from routine health issues. Even when you can afford it, an increasing number of doctors are refusing to accept insurance. These doctors tend to be more highly regarded and provide a higher standard of care because they’re not shackled to a computer doing insurance paperwork half the day. So even with the system we have, insurance isn’t really worth it unless you have chronic health issues. This becomes a feedback loop of increasing prices and decreasing benefits for all but the most expensive patients. Profit is a moral hazard in health care.

creaghpatr 7y ago
Lack of profit a deadlier hazard.
sjg007 7y ago
That's not what I said. I am saying it's not a moral issue. We already pay! We already accept that we have to pay!
- wayoutthere 7y ago
  The moral hazard isn’t in paying for it, it’s in how the profit motive multiplied across dozens of middlemen is corrosive to the quality of the system. We’re paying for it regardless, but we pay a lot more under the current system because we have to support perpetual growth of every company in the value chain.

JustSomeNobody 7y ago

That's not the same thing. Other "hard working" people are paying into private ins along with you. The poor don't because their hours are capped at 30 so they'll never get health insurance. Therefore they're not contributing, therefore they don't deserve it. Note: This is not my position on the matter. Just trying to explain the difference. Edit: Regarding Medicaid and Medicare - believe me, people would love to see Medicaid go also. I think they're OK-ish with Medicare because they know they'll get old at some point.