[SoothingDave]

And the ‘co-pay’s were another bad idea. No matter where you shop, you pay the same co-pay. So the local drug store can charge $100 for the same drug the guy down the street sells for $50 and you don’t care, you only pay the same co-pay, no matter what.

Uh, no.

Insurance companies negotiate rates with various pharmacies. I highly doubt the actual amount paid by the insurance company varies that much, whether you use Walmart or Walgreens pharmacy.

Co-pays are an alternative to paying nothing and having insurance pay the bill for everything. The intention is to limit unnecessary expenses by making the user have some skin in the game. If my insurance merely covers ER visits, I go when I have a sniffle. If it costs me a co-pay, I may choose otherwise.

Now, whether it is "insurance" to pay for routine medical expenses and medicines is another question entirely. The only way to contain costs is to get away from 3rd party payment and let the market function. Return "insurance" to its proper role of paying for unexpected events.

[chrisser]

Now, whether it is "insurance" to pay for routine medical expenses and medicines is another question entirely.

This is my strongest feeling on the whole insurance issue. Words mean things. We need insurance to be what insurance is - coverage for unexpected catastrophic events.

I would prefer to pay my physician for routine visits in cash and then have a plan to cover things like ER visits, catastrophic illness, etc. should I need it. The same way I pay for my own tires and wipers, but if my car gets in a wreck, then insurance kicks in.

If people want to participate in some sort of "routine medical services payment club" or "prescription drug payment club", whether through their employer, their social group, or even as a family, then lets keep that separate from insurance both in terminology and in legislation.

That's not saying it can't or shouldn't be bundled with an insurance product, but too often these separate products/services are spoken of interchangeably when they really aren't nor shouldn't be, IMHO.