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Why Do We Get Health Insurance from Our Employers Anyway? (Another Legacy of FDR Needing To Go.)
American Shareholders ^ | 3/15/10 | Noreen Alladina

Posted on 03/16/2010 10:30:52 AM PDT by Andrea19

America’s healthcare system is so complex it needs its own dictionary just to define the verbose terminology. So how did it get this way? More specifically, why did we start obtaining health insurance through our employers instead of directly purchasing it on our own?....

(Excerpt) Read more at americanshareholders.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: healthcare; obamacare
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Along with rent-control, withholding, and the currently-structured United Nations, employer-given healthcare is something that Franklin Delano Roosevelt started, and to solve real-problems without giving the government absolute control must be solved.
1 posted on 03/16/2010 10:30:53 AM PDT by Andrea19
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To: Andrea19
employer-given healthcare is something that Franklin Delano Roosevelt started
It was started by private enterprise during WWII to attract good workers.
With millions in the military, civilians were in short supply.
Perhaps you've heard of Rosie ...?

2 posted on 03/16/2010 10:40:25 AM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: Andrea19

I’ve thought about this a lot. Not tying it to employment means that losing one’s job doesn’t automatically mean losing coverage.

I do think that there should be a focus on insuring to cover large expenses, and catastrophe, like cancer, illness, etc., but paying out of pocket for office visits. Health Savings Account type do this, but there should be a more focus on this.

However, I’m not sure how we could legislate this sort of thing.


3 posted on 03/16/2010 10:41:05 AM PDT by RockinRight (Obama Logic: Global Warming causes blizzards, and deficit spending balances budgets.)
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To: Andrea19

Benefit bidding war for hiring employees.


4 posted on 03/16/2010 10:41:15 AM PDT by Tarpon ( ...Rude crude socialist Obama depends on ignorance to force his will on people)
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To: Andrea19

And since it is from employers there is a big incentive to “control costs” by abstractly imposing byzantine rules and procedures with the net effect of less coverage.


5 posted on 03/16/2010 10:41:31 AM PDT by glorgau
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To: Andrea19

Never heard of health insurance until I had to sign a labor contract with it in the early 60s!

Before that it was everyone pays their own way!!!


6 posted on 03/16/2010 10:43:55 AM PDT by dalereed
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To: RockinRight

I do think that there should be a focus on insuring to cover large expenses, and catastrophe, like cancer, illness, etc., but paying out of pocket for office visits. Health Savings Account type do this, but there should be a more focus on this.

Right

And an Urgent Care to go to for $5 for poor people.

And gee, maybe even an emergency room where there is not a 10 hour wait!

Wow

Think how modern and normal that would be!

Isn’t it great to live in America?


7 posted on 03/16/2010 10:44:00 AM PDT by DontTreadOnMe2009 (So stop treading on me already!)
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To: Andrea19

Well, for starters, not everyone can buy private insurance. Insurance companies won’t insure those with high risk factors unless compelled to do so via group agreements. My wife isn’t able to purchase private insurance because she has two clotting disorders, Factor V Leiden and Prothombrin 20210 both of which are likely to have been misspelled here.

Even if that weren’t the case, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I wouldn’t even consider a job without health insurance, and I’m sure I’m far from alone.


8 posted on 03/16/2010 10:44:26 AM PDT by Melas
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To: Andrea19
When I'm in an optimistic mood I think that Social Security will go bankrupt and stop all payments. And then, for many years to come, whenever a politician offers to pay future benefits to people, the people will laugh and say "Not interested! I remember when you screwed my grandparents on social security!"

And I also think that having health insurance provided for you by your employer, or by your government is ripe for disaster. If it goes horribly wrong (which it will) then maybe people will say, "No more entitlement programs! I won't be a slave to your do-gooder schemes any more. I'll put my own money down for the things I want, thank you very much."

9 posted on 03/16/2010 10:46:16 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (We're all heading toward red revolution - we just disagree on which type of Red we want.)
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To: Andrea19

10 posted on 03/16/2010 10:49:11 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: RockinRight

I do think that there should be a focus on insuring to cover large expenses, and catastrophe, like cancer, illness, etc., but paying out of pocket for office visits. Health Savings Account type do this, but there should be a more focus on this.

I agree. Force healthcare onto a cash and carry model for all but catastrophic care. Catastrophic Insurance is exceedingly cheap. So is using cash. Take the middleman out of it (that would include the obese middleman known as Govt) and we can realize substantial savings. A tort reform bill requiring looser pays all costs would go a long way towards reducing costs.


11 posted on 03/16/2010 10:50:00 AM PDT by equalitybeforethelaw
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To: Andrea19

yeah, and how would you institute it? you think businesses would say “you’re all switching to private insurance, here’s a giant raise to make up for it?” no way. they’d add it to their bottom line. a huge reason i took my job, and the reason i keep it is the benefits. if it weren’t for them i’d be gone.
i agree that no business should be forced to offer insurance, but there’s no reason why it can’t be an incentive.


12 posted on 03/16/2010 10:53:45 AM PDT by absolootezer0 (2x divorced, tattooed, pierced, harley hatin, meghan mccain luvin', smoker and pit bull owner..what?)
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To: equalitybeforethelaw
A tort reform bill requiring looser pays all costs would go a long way towards reducing costs.

Fraught with too many problems. Chief amongst them, a defendant with deep pocketbooks (like any major hospital) could file for extension after extension, discovery upon expensive discovery, add one expensive expert witness (they don't do it for free) after anohter with the sole purpose of intimidating the plaintiff with an ever increasing legal bill in the event of a finding for the defendant. No thanks.

13 posted on 03/16/2010 10:56:22 AM PDT by Melas
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To: Andrea19

Fully paid health care is a factor in my choice of employment. It is a perk, like a company car, that keeps my employer from loosing me to competition. Simple Supply and Demand.


14 posted on 03/16/2010 11:01:07 AM PDT by devnull (Obama, Czar of czars.)
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To: Andrea19

My insurance isn’t “given” to me by my employer - I buy it.
I do appreciate the purchasing power of being one over 10,000 workers in the purchasing pool, though!


15 posted on 03/16/2010 11:07:14 AM PDT by Little Ray (The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!)
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To: RockinRight

take away the pre-tax benefit.


16 posted on 03/16/2010 11:14:50 AM PDT by wordsofearnest (Job 19:25 As for me, I know my Redeemer lives.)
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To: oh8eleven

You’re right, but there’s more to it. It was started by private employers as a way to circumvent the wage controls imposed by the U.S. government during World War II. Companies began offering medical insurance because they couldn’t offer more cash income.


17 posted on 03/16/2010 11:17:40 AM PDT by Alberta's Child (God is great, beer is good . . . and people are crazy.)
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To: Melas

Do you get auto and homeowner’s insurance from your employer too? No? Why not? Furthermore... why would you want to?


18 posted on 03/16/2010 11:19:45 AM PDT by Ramius (Personally, I give us... one chance in three. More tea?)
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To: Andrea19

Yes, a totally portable, consumer-driven system is the way to go. Would make job transitions easier and eliminate this “joblock” problem that Pelosi was bitching about a few days ago.


19 posted on 03/16/2010 11:19:56 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Little Ray
My insurance isn’t “given” to me by my employer - I buy it.

Can you buy any policy from any company you wish?

20 posted on 03/16/2010 11:20:47 AM PDT by Ramius (Personally, I give us... one chance in three. More tea?)
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