Health insurance ‘haves’ to pay for ‘have-nots’?

[woodsrider]

Why do people invest in the stock market without knowing that they'll get money in return somewhere down the road?

How is that the same? You have an choice to invest, we have no choice here.

[titletownclown]

Nothing gets a point across like a good cartoon.

 

[SSC]

Lets say you have an employer-based plan that you are completely satisfied with. I am self-employed or my employer's plan is too expensive for me and my family.

 

With the govt planning on getting into the game, you and I both now have choices for our plan. We can continue with our employer-based plan OR we can go with the govt's plan. No one , as far as I know, will be forced to swtich away from their current employer's plan.

 

However, if the govt plan is , say, significantly cheaper what will potentially happen? You and both might start looking into the govt's plan in order to save on premiums. We might even do that knowing that the service we get might not be as good as our current provider.

 

What might the result of that be? Employer-based plans losing members is not a good thing for them. So, they start to get more competitive in order to stave off real or potential defections.

 

So, now you get to keep your plan of choice and that plan may have to lower its premiums, lower its deductible, etc which means you have money in your pocket to offset any POTENTIAL additional taxes.

 

Could this blow up? Absolutely. It could blow up IF the govt's plan is either so poor in service or not much less than current employer plans. IF its not much of a savings, we won't switch. If we dont switch, plans won't be forced to be more competitive. Thus, we will be paying more in taxes but NOT getting savings on the back end.

 

I'm following you. I think that it's highly unlikely that it would ever happen to our advantage, but I get where you're going. My question is: Company X is not happy w/ the money they provide right now for insurance. The govt plan is terribly worse, but at least their employees would have insurance so they decide to pay less for us b/c we can get some sort of insurance anyway. They don't drop the program completely, but they agree to pay a lot less. Where does that leave employees barely scraping by as it is?

[Clyde]

I'm following you. I think that it's highly unlikely that it would ever happen to our advantage, but I get where you're going. My question is: Company X is not happy w/ the money they provide right now for insurance. The govt plan is terribly worse, but at least their employees would have insurance so they decide to pay less for us b/c we can get some sort of insurance anyway. They don't drop the program completely, but they agree to pay a lot less. Where does that leave employees barely scraping by as it is?

 

Obviously we don't know if it will work(thus, my investment analogy that failed miserably).

 

Companies could obviously change their own plan and essentially push their employees to the govt plan. However, they do so at the risk of losing their employees to a competitor who offers better benefits.

[cch5432]

Obviously we don't know if it will work(thus, my investment analogy that failed miserably).

 

Companies could obviously change their own plan and essentially push their employees to the govt plan. However, they do so at the risk of losing their employees to a competitor who offers better benefits.

...and the less that governments tax businesses (and everyone in general), the better benefits that businesses can offer- such as quality health care for even more people. Which is why, without government intervention, businesses- to compete for the best employees- began offering health benefits to employees shortly after WWII.

 

However, some of our politicians would lead us to believe that nothing good can be done without the government intervening.

[75center]

Nothing gets a point across like a good cartoon.

 

 

:D That's a good one!

[SSC]

Obviously we don't know if it will work(thus, my investment analogy that failed miserably).

 

Companies could obviously change their own plan and essentially push their employees to the govt plan. However, they do so at the risk of losing their employees to a competitor who offers better benefits.

 

 

I don't think this is the best economy to be looking to move jobs. I could be wrong, but I see this as becoming an absolute disaster.

[Clyde]

I could be wrong, but I see this as becoming an absolute disaster.

 

Why?

[Clyde]

BTW I don't think its a given that this gets through the House and Senate. Another Dem came out today as being against it after being for it a few months ago. Can you smell the campaign money that's flowing in?

[leatherneck]

BTW I don't think its a given that this gets through the House and Senate. Another Dem came out today as being against it after being for it a few months ago. Can you smell the campaign money that's flowing in?

 

No, but I smell coffee so maybe the Dem got some caffeine in him, woke up and realize the forced redistribution of wealth system has already become too large.

[lynks66]

BTW I don't think its a given that this gets through the House and Senate. Another Dem came out today as being against it after being for it a few months ago. Can you smell the campaign money that's flowing in?

 

Clyde, just curious, but what kind of odds or chances do you see of this being successful if it were to go through?

[coldweatherfan]

The concept (from my limited understanding) is that if the govt is an option for folks like me and you (however NOT MANDATORY) then our current providers will have to be more competitive. How will they be more competitive? Right. Premiums go down. More stuff gets covered. A multitude of possibilities that do not exist today due to the strong lobby in DC.

 

Current providers are actually very competitive.

[Clyde]

Clyde, just curious, but what kind of odds or chances do you see of this being successful if it were to go through?

 

How do I answer that without knowing the details?

[Clyde]

Current providers are actually very competitive.

 

Compared to what? I know my premiums that come out of my check have continued to rise at a pretty good clip while my deductible has continued to go up as well.

[lynks66]

How do I answer that without knowing the details?

 

Fair enough.