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Percival P. Cassidy

On 10/19/11 01:01 pm, wrote:

I think many of the Tea Partiers realize that they acheived financial
security in a much hotter market with jobs that provided significantly more
benefits and they fear redistribution of that wealth to people living in
today's much tougher times. Back then, a man could raise a family and send
his kids to college without his wife having to work. Those days are long,
long gone. Retirees starting to draw from their 401K's probably don't
realize that unless they have kids who are struggling. Try getting a job in
your 50's. Most companies won't admit it, but they know older employees
will cause their health costs to soar so they avoid them unless there's no
other choice.

This is another reason why we need universal health insurance coverage
with premiums dependent on income rather than on employment. Employers
paying health insurance premiums was an accident of US history that has
no advantages and serious disadvantages.

The real problem is the whole idea of health insurance. It makes
medical care "free" and nothing is as expensive as something that
people think is free.

So people would drive more carefully if they didn't have motor-vehicle
insurance?

Back when we paid the doctor ourselves doctors lived down the street
and they were not conglomerates,, they were small businesses that
people could afford.

I don't disagree with that.

If you pile up a couple billion dollars in an insurance company,
everyone will come for it and the insurance companies are happy to pay
it out because they simply raise their premiums to cover expenses.

Having the government be the insurer does not fix that problem, it
only makes it worse because they collect their premiums (taxes) at the
point of a gun.

I'm not saying that all health insurance should be run by the
government. Many countries with universal health care have competition
between private insurance companies all playing by the same rules, and
in some cases a government-run plan as well. In some of those countries
the premiums do not depend on income, but they are subsidized for those
with low incomes. In Australia the health insurance premium is a
percentage (max. 2.5%) of taxable income.

Perce