Posted on 07/01/2012 6:42:16 AM PDT by jonno
If an interstate entity can compel the purchase of it, I should think some sort of case can be made regarding the legality of the restriction.
It is appently possible to get waivers in certain conditions that can allow multi-state companies to pick a state in which they do business to obtain group insurance for the entire company. My daughter was insured by BC/BS of Alabama while she worked in South Dakota. It would make total sense to drop this federal restriction for selling insurance across state lines for all employers and individuals. One of the consequences of Obamacare is that small population states that currently have only a few health insurance providers will have those health insurance companies leave as costs become too high and there are too few policy holders in the state to spread the increased risk.
The problem isn’t a vacuum, the problem is interference.
The government has absolutely no business regulating healthcare at all, none.
Get out and watch the free market take over.
Every “big problem” in healthcare is the result of government action.
Romney should promise an Executive Order waiver to every man, woman, child, and business in the United States.
“The folks at the top don’t want a solution.”
Could you please take a moment and figure out who “the folks” are?
The insurance company lobby doesn’t want the competition and lower profits.
The liberals want the destruction of our Constitutional Republic.
They are NOT the same people with the same agenda.
It just so happens that some level of self interest, in protecting markets, has the effect of providing fodder for the socialists call for “government solutions”.
Call me naive, but in this discussion I don’t see why Health ins should be any different from auto or home ins.
Cases in point:
- in the last 4 years the roof our house has been totaled by hail. So, I call our ins, they send out an adjuster, I get a check in the mail for 1/2 or 2/3rds the amount. With the money, I shop for the best roofing deal I can get. Once the work is complete, I send in receipts - they send me another check for the difference.
- My car gets a ding. My ins. cuts me a check. I find a shop that will do the work to my satisfaction for 2/3rds the cost.
- The birth of my last child cost my ins. ~10K. The delivery was uneventful, my wife is home on the 3rd day.
Curiosities:
- It seems I hear about a half-dozen time a week how Geico can save me 15% in 15 minutes.
- I don’t know of if lasik eye surgery is covered by any ins., but it seems to me that I could shop around and get it done for ~$1500 an eye.
Both my home and auto insurance companies are nation-wide carriers.
It seems reasonable to me that I could provide proof to my insurance company as to my wifes pregnancy, get a percentage up front, and then get the balance upon completion of “the work”. You can’t tell me that if we shopped around we couldn’t find a Dr/mid-wife who could provide “reasonable” care delivery a child for less than $10k.
I’ve got a skin “condition” that should probably looked at. It seems reasonable that I should be able to get an “estimate” and work with my carrier to get the work done as cheaply as I am able.
Sorry to ramble - in a time crunch this PM...
What I've learned is, most medical care is remarkably inexpensive, even more so with discounts mandated here when you self pay instead of having insurance.
I see it like any other expense now, just like in the old days before Kennedy's HMOs became so popular, and budget accordingly.
The only health insurance I want is something to cover radically expensive health emergencies and accidents.
Otherwise, it's such an expensive luxury they way people are trying to set it up now, to be able to go anytime for any reason and have it be free. What business could survive with that model?
I wish my favorite restaurants would give me that kind of a deal.
Your post #3 makes sense.
Too many chickens don’t want to fight for the U.S.A.
And mind, your auto insurance doesn't cover oil changes, replace your tires or give it a wash once a month.
But with HMOs, the ‘holy grail’ has always been zero cost to the consumer at the service side. We dance around with copays and whatnot, but that's been the ultimate goal (and unions have been finding that this ultimate goal isn't sitting well with folks.)
If health insurance was back on the table, where you make claims, determine where your care is given, etc - we'd be well on the road to recovery, as the veil between the consumer and the cost of services would be wiped away. Go ahead, go in to your local hospital and ask how much the basic fees are - per hour of emergency room time, per day fee for a semi-private room. Every other business on the planet has to provide a price list on demand, yet hospitals are exempt. How much is the test going to run? Wait until you get the bill to find out.
Consumer involvement would eliminate a lot of the fat from the system.
Most health insurance payouts are for general maintenance that shoul be paid out of pocket. If car insurance was forced to cover every expense of owning a car, no one could afford it.
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