Posted on 06/22/2005 4:28:34 AM PDT by chapin2500
Gov. Mitt Romney yesterday launched a revolution over health care, unveiling a bold initiative that would force tens of thousands of people to pony up cash for coverage.
But whether Romney can piece together a coalition to topple the largely employer- and government-paid system is another matter, experts said.
The main feature of Romney's proposal - mandating that 150,000 uninsured individuals start paying a share of their medical costs via forced insurance - dramatically shifts the debate in Massachusetts over who should foot the bill for any future universal health-care program.
(Excerpt) Read more at business.bostonherald.com ...
I pay cash for my med bills. Romney can take this and stick it up his a$$.
Not radical enough, make them open an HSA......
The decuctible should be very high.
Well the problem of course is how is the state going to force people to pay this? Payroll deductions? And even so, how much is this going to cost each worker? While the totally destitute have medicaid - this is an attempt to offer some sort of coverage for the self-employed, the waiters and waitresses, the landscapers, etc. Tough medicine that no one will like.
Health savings account?
There is some merit in this. Even though you pay cash, you are paying fees that are inflated because you are helping pay for others who pay squat.
Do you mean more government isn't the solution? What a shocker, especially to the new Republicans.
If you have major meds, you won't be paying cash unless you are independently wealthy, and then you would be insured.
If you dont pay they will take it from your state tax refund.
I'm 30 and healthy. I'll take my chances. In the future I and I alone would like to make the decision for myself, not the friggn government.
If we look at this historically, we can see a certain point in time where medical costs went up with no regard to the CPI or inflation.
A bubble, as it were.
This "bubble", is still with us, and will remain so unless the dynamic that is skewing free market forces is removed.
I remember my uncle, who was a doctor, predicting that this would happen, and that the cost would be staggering.
Anyone know what event I'm talking about?
Well that's the payroll tax approach. However, if this indeed affordable (with a large deductable) I do know some who would gladly pay so as to avoid a huge hospital bill should they have an unforseen accident, etc.
Maybe jail time or garnished wages for those who dont pay.
Hey, I'm with you. I did the same thing most of my life.
But if you, for instance, get in an accident that goes over your coverage, then what?
My ex wife was hit by a pick up.
The driver had the mandated 10k insurance; she she blew past that the 1st day, all the way to a 205k bill in hard meds.
The real monster that we have created has driven the cost of medical care into the stratosphere.
....or a communist? Sorry, I meant democrat.
The root problem is illegal immigration, and the occasional frivolous lawsuit.
Actually, When I didn't have health insurance, I had a gastroenterologist who would accept cash from me, and only wanted $40 for an office visit. He would have received $60 from an insurance company, but he figured that the additional paperwork just wasn't worth it. And maybe he took pity on me too.
Mark
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