your comment nailed it on the head.
Only advantage of single payer is its “honest socialism”, assuming that is not an oxymoron.
Who could have possibly foreseen this development?
{{cough}}Free Republic{{cough}}
That has always been there for broke jokes. People with assets buy insurance or pay out of their estates.
You can laugh, but that is what is about to happen.
Let me give you a ‘real world’ example of how Kaiser claims people ‘game the system’. My son just switched jobs. He will not be eligible for health care at his new employer until April 1st. He could have taken COBRA at his old employer for two months (Feb, and March). If he did so, his out of pocket costs would have been in excess of $600 a month, plus his plan had a deductible and prescription drug co-pays involved.
My son looked into ‘Obamacare’ and found a Gold PLan plan for $369 a month, NO DEDUCTIBLE, and $40 co-pay for prescription drugs.
Since he is a type 1 diabetic and has another prescription for an expensive drug, he would have probably ended up paying over $1000 a month for everything under COBRA. Instead he will pay the $369 plus two $40 co-pays. He is saving over $500 a month, his health costs will actually be higher when he starts his new job (which has GREAT benefits btw) than he is paying now.
His is just one example of how rational people, make rational decisions when it comes to their finances. For the gov’t to think that anyone who is about 25 will take the Gold Plan unless they have pre-existing conditions is crazy. Logic dictates that the sickest, most expensive will pay slightly more for a Gold Plan which covers a huge portion of their expenses vs taking a bronze plan, is crazy. The healthy buy the cheapest up front plans (and will use them very little), the sickest or those with chronic medical conditions (ie type 1 diabetes) will buy the gold and this will cost the insurer way more than the premium.
Which of course was the plan all along.