[Lorianne]

More competition in health care across the board!

[al_c]

In order to achieve this, the CED would make health insurance mandatory for every American.

Oh, THAT will make it more affordable! /sarcasm (as if that tag is needed).

[Radix]

Don’t know about everyone else, but in my case, my employer benefits have been getting lesser each year.

Every few months it seems that more former benefit(s) have been discontinued, and the co-pays keep going up.

[Myrddin]

I think something is being missed in this analysis. When people hit age 65, the employer sponsored health insurance dumps them onto the medicare system...because it can. The leading edge of the baby boomers is approaching this cliff at age 65. It is estimated that 10,000 baby boomers will be retiring each day for the next 15 to 20 years. That's an incredible shift from private insurance sponsored by employers to government medicare financed by the taxpayers. At the same time this shift is occurring, some of those shifted will massively reduce the amount of taxes they pay as they retire from productive work. The government is going to be looking for ways to replace that revenue. Watch your wallet!

I became aware of this situation as a colleague at work is approaching his 65th birthday. He plans to continue working well beyond age 65, but his medical insurance from the company sponsored plan goes away on his birthday.

Company sponsored medical insurance has been offered as a perk to retain good quality employees. It isn't a right. It certainly isn't a responsibility of employers. If companies decide to withdraw the perk, they will have to either pay the difference or face losing valuable employees to competitors who will pay the difference. Therein lies the issue. It's a matter of paying a valuable employee that extra money to retain them. An employer isn't going to pay perks for commodity labor. All labor is not of equal value. If you question that opinion, ask yourself if you would submit to brain surgery performed by a janitor.

[RightWhale]

• make health insurance mandatory for every American.

  Got to pay for all those illegal aliens in the clinics and emergency rooms somehow.

[Centurion2000]

I think it sounds horrible because the companies’ have the power of collective purchasing. If you belong to the company and have the opportunity to participate you gain benefits based on the size of the companies collective purchase.

Taking this out of the equation is a disincentive to work long term at one place. It’s also going to make it more expensive to shop for insurance becuase you have become a company of 1-10 people and have to face the lack of incentive on the health insurance company to keep your business.

[Reeses]

costs are out of control ... Individuals could purchase insurance above and beyond the minimum benefit plans with after tax dollars.

How will shifting health care costs from employer to taxpayer help at all with out of control costs? Making health care free for retired and poor people will induce more usage increasing costs. People without jobs have a lot of time on their hands to spend in soviet style rationing lines.

Employers insurance premiums are before-tax. This calls for individuals to pay income tax before buying reasonable waiting room time level service, a tax increase. How will increasing taxes and demand do a thing for rising costs? Are people willing to give up their lotto lawsuits and resulting defensive over-care to slow runaway costs? If so we don't need Hillarycare to accomplish that.

[kabar]

The question is whether the insurance companies will be forced to insure everyone including those with prexisting illnesses.

[kabar]

The question is whether the insurance companies will be forced to insure everyone including those with prexisting illnesses.

[Political Junkie Too]

Employers are jettisoning health insurance because costs are out of control.

So, if costs are brought back in control, does this problem go away?

Seems to me that we should be focusing on controlling the costs. What's driving up the costs?

-PJ

[uglybiker]

...the CED would make health insurance mandatory for every American.