Uninsured add $900 to health premiums-study (will be $1,500 in 5 years)

Reuters ^ | June 8, 2005 | Reuters

[Almondjoy]

Sure people didn't have health insurance back in the 1400's.. but if you were saved.. you were saved.. it didn't matter if you died when you are 40.

Our obsession with living forever is costing alot.. not just in having to work for it.. lost time with family.. degenerating family values.

Of course it's not just healthcare.

To heck with technology!

[cameraman]

OK.
I'm not an economist.
I'm not a genius...
here's my idea:

As much as I don't like to say this, I think the government will need to require people to carry insurance. Obviously the costs of insurance today are way too high for many people to pay, so a "Pay What You Can" system may help to offset rising insurance costs. Here's how:

This will basically create a two tiered health system, one public and one private. The option will be available as to which one you want to participate in.

If you chose private, you are under no obligation to pay taxes into the public system, but each year when you submit your taxes you must also submit that years "Health Insurance Statement" to prove that you are covered.

The public system would be a system in which you pay what you can based upon income that you earn, something like the tax system now. Employers would actually be required to pay the insurance for each of their employees, but they (the employer) would be permitted to withhold that payment from their employees' paycheck in order to recoup that payment (sort of like withholding SS, or FICA). At the end of the year the employee would receive a statement like a 1099, or a W2 that would act as their "Health Insurance Statement" to be submitted with their year end taxes.

I think that this would no doubt create a two tiered system. Those opposed to this idea would call it "second class health care" and "unfair treatment" for those who couldn't afford the private rates, but as it stands right now there is no treatment at all for such people. Which is worse?

To address the illegal immigrant population and its drain on social services like health care, maybe we could tie it into the real estate market. In order to rent an apartment, or buy a house, you must show your "Health Insurance Statement" before being allowed to sign a lease or contract. Should a landlord or lending institution be found violating this rule, then fines are imposed. Those fines would of course be rolled into the public health system. Illegal immigrants would be allowed to pay into the system and receive benefits from the system, so long as they could prove their income. How to prove their income? Require the renters' agreement to see how much rent they pay, cell phone bills, phone bills, cable TV bill and utility bills, and make a reasonable assessment as to how much they are making. If they (the illegal immigrant) are unhappy with the assessment, they could always prove how much they are making by submitting cash declarations and paychecks. Of course if their numbers didn't add up, they wouldn't be able to pay their bills and you would know they were lying.

As I said I'm no genius and I am also NO expert on health care, but I thought I would throw this out there for discussion.

[Dust in the Wind]

"I think you read the statement incorrectly; the employers pick up the main portion of the $10,979, not the employee + spouse + 2 children."

Mine does not and very few others around these parts supply anything but coverage for the individual employee; if that.

[ImphClinton]

Any more questions why Earlich should have signed the Wal*Mart bill (required Wal*Mart to pay part of health insurance cost of it's employees, now it pays almost nothing).

And this is just health insurance. Wal*Mart and their low wages also cost us in taxes for Medicaid, Food Stamps, Car Insurance, Home Insurance, etc.

Level the field require all employers pay their employees enough to keep them off welfare, on health coverage etc. Otherwise the working poor might as well be slaves. They will eventually rebel you know.

[Katya]

You can buy health insurance with a huge deductible for alot less than $300 per month, and there are chehap catastrophic illness policies. I'm self-employed and pay $305 per month for a family of four through carefirst blue cross personal comp plan. My deductible is $1000 per individual, and $2000 for the family. Emergency care is covered at 80% immediately. It's still cheaper for me to pay out of pocket for visits which never cost more than $150, and we never see a doctor more than once per year. I could have opted to save about $100 per month if I'd upped the deductible. There are also other health care solutions like joining a discount group. It's not insurance, but they negotiate the same rates that the insurance companies pay for visits.
At least you should opt for a catastrophic illness plan.