>The insurance industry in the USA is so screwed. One of the steps that seems symbolic, but is important is that we need to recognize that health insurance onl

>The insurance industry in the USA is so screwed. One of the steps that seems symbolic, but is important is that we need to recognize that health insurance only bears a passing resemblance to insurance. What it really is: A "savings" account, or amortized payments for expected expenses. The value-add is that these companies will negotiate volume discounts (sometimes, when things don't actually cost more than they would on the street) for some providers and interventions. You/your employer pay a premium. Then you have a deductible. Then your "insurance" company has the unmitigated gall to also include "co-pays" (which are on top of your deductible, as well as after meeting it), AND "co-insurance" (even if you've already met your deductible)... AND then they'll refer to it as "your contribution to your healthcare costs". I suppose that is somewhat accurate but still... Imagine your car gets totaled. Your insurer says "Hey, we're going to pay out $25K for your vehicle. So you have a $1,000 deductible, so that's $24,000, and then your copay for a total loss is $2,000, and for total losses, your coinsurance as your contributions for your vehicle coverage is 20% which is $5,000 so here's a check for $19,000." I know it exists in certain very limited contexts, but if it weren't for all the regulatory capture, I could easily see companies that say "We'll negotiate bulk discounts with these providers. Everything else is on you. Pay for what you use."