Posted on 09/02/2009 9:49:17 AM PDT by Federalist Patriot
Here is video of another outstanding report by ABC News' John Stossel on Health Care Insurance, in which he suggests we should pay for our own Health Care.
Stossel points out that insurance was designed for catastrophic circumstances, not to pay for everything. Essentially, Stossel says it is insurance itself that makes Health Care so expensive when it is expected to pay for every single thing.
Stossel did an outstanding report last month that just destroyed Government Health Care by revealing what it will mean for Americans. . . . . (Watch Video of Stossel's New Report)
(Excerpt) Read more at freedomslighthouse.com ...
Of course it raises prices. It’s a ponzi scheme just like the DOW ! It’s not about medicine or helping the sick or injured IT’S ABOUT MONEY and POWER.
Duh!
I am amazed that ABC has not made Dear John simply disappear...I am glad he is still there!
I don’t know about a “scheme”.
It’s just a fact that things like health insurance and student loans increase the amount of money available for treatments and education. With more money floating around, you get inflation.
Add to that the customer’s willingness to agree to almost anything covered by another party’s willingness to pay, and the paying party’s inability to monitor services or fees.
We’ve known this since the advent of insurance, our concept of insurance is what’s dramatically changed. We’re now “insuring” certainties instead of low-probability/high-loss situations. What will happen when “pre-existing conditions” are forced into every health care plan?
Where’e that Captain Obvious picture when you need it...
“Where’e that Captain Obvious picture when you need it...”
The real sad thing is that for most people it’s not at all obvious!
I saw this report and it is what I have argued for years. No one knows what anything costs. It’s ridiculous.
The really good thing about Stossel’s report is that it brings out the need for personal responsibility instead of expecting someone else to pay for everything.
It also would suggest that if the Government takes on paying for everything, it will not bring down the cost of Health Care, but only drive it higher.
Then no one would watch 20/20.
bump
“It also would suggest that if the Government takes on paying for everything, it will not bring down the cost of Health Care, but only drive it higher.”
Or, as evidenced by all the countries that have national health care, it will lead to rationing because the government will be stuck between raising taxes or flogging the providers. Most goverments choose the easy out and flog the providers. The providers not liking to be flogged will get out of the system, hence, rationing and poor service.
We have Big Government meddling to thank for initially promoting a useless, premium-sucking insurance bureaucracy between patients and doctors, and that bureaucracy is the tip of the iceberg on how insurance has escalated the costs of healthcare ... and don’t get me started on the parasite trail lawyers...
Doctors have historically made a good living, but they weren't millionaires. Now, the only doctors that aren't millionaires are in the military.
Isn't insurance structurally socialist in its aspect? Share the pain? Get someone else to pay for your needs? With socialism, there is no need to husband your resources in a wise and frugal manner since someone else, i.e. other premium payers, will pick up your tab. From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
What would happen to medical care in general if market forces were reintroduced? It would be mayhem for a while, but, like all markets, wouldn't it stabilize eventually? Wouldn't doctors have to compete for fees coming directly from patients who would realize that they don't want to pay out of pocket to see a doctor because they have the common cold?
Tort reform would have to accompany the outlawing of health insurance since the insurance companies gouge the doctors as well as the patients. Imagine the pain on the faces of the trial lawyers when they can no longer collect multi-million dollar settlements from insurance companies! Boo hoo! No more big donations to the Democrats.
The one factor not considered is that because the cost of care has drastically risen over the years (not just because of insurance) paying out of pocket for ordinary treatment or even treatment of things like dog bites will be a huge bite for ordinary people. One person I know was bitten by a pit bull, no owner known, and was treated in the emergency room (no ambulance called). The bill for the treatment was around $4500. A total of $500+ for an office visit that takes 15 minutes with the doctor and one prescription will take a huge bite out of the assets of a family of 4. How about a hernia operation that is non-catastrophic but necessary that runs $6000+?
This isn’t the 50s when childbirth in a hospital came to less than $15. Does anyone think that even with tort reform and self-paying for non-catastrophic care will mean that health care will become affordable? Hospitals, drug companies and doctors are not going to cut their fees voluntarily so cutting out insurance puts the perfect reason for supporting obamacare into democrat hands. This simple solution is not very simple and won’t fly without other changes to the system such as somehow adjusting the pricing structure.
Medicare, and all medicaids, should be phased out gradually and replaced with private insurance, for medicare is the MAIN insurance that is responsible for the high cost of medicine today. Government meddling did it and the solution that the left sees for this is more government meddling. We have to stop this crap and make sure we vote the communists out of office in 2010, and believe me, they are communists.
It's not just that or even primarily that. It's because there is no off switch in the system. If someone else is paying for the care why would anyone ask for less than the best -- especially when you can get politicians and lawyers to club into submission the payer in favor of the payee. Prices can only go up in such an environment whether the payer is an insurance co, HMO, or the gov't.
Of course - remember who it was that was loudly lobbying for the current insurance company run system?
http://www.forhealthfreedom.org/Publications/Choice/ThenAndNow.html
He’s right.
Just like we pay more taxes because most people have their taxes taken out of their paycheck. It’s relatively painless so people don’t notice it as much.
If people had to get out their checkbooks and actually write a check each month for all their taxes instead of having it witheld, you could be darn sure that people would scream bloody murder and insist on lower taxes.
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