Health Care reform

[OUstudent4life]

Seeing how the country can barely afford to provide health care for most people right now, and adding the increasing costs of caring for baby boomers...what do you all think should be done?

I just read a decent article:

http://www.slate.com/id/2160834/pagenum/all/

...which outlines a plan I'd like to look into more. I personally don't think the government can just wait for the market to work itself out, because, well, I don't think it will. I'd like to hear opinions, though. It's pretty much established that over the next 20 years, a BUNCH of people (read: elderly) are going to become VERY sick (the leading risk for cancer = age) and be VERY expensive to treat...

[MamaMia]

During the gubernatorial race, there was mention of a state insurance plan that was in place here in Oklahoma. Has anyone here taken advantage of that program, or know much about it? I think its called Insure Oklahoma.

[royalfan5]

There is one surefire plan to fix health care in America. We all need to become Christian Scientists.

[mdklatt]

http://www.slate.com/id/2160834/pagenum/all/

Here are some points in that article for all those who think we can't afford government-funded health care:

Employer-based coverage is a drag on the economy, tethering workers to jobs they would otherwise leave and harming the competitiveness of American manufacturing by adding to the cost of goods.

The Lewin Group, an independent consulting firm, has estimated that Wyden's plan would reduce overall national spending on health care by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years and that it would save the government money through great administrative efficiency and competition.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

During the gubernatorial race, there was mention of a state insurance plan that was in place here in Oklahoma. Has anyone here taken advantage of that program, or know much about it? I think its called Insure Oklahoma.

Is this what you're talkin' about, Mama?

Insure Oklahoma

[MamaMia]

Is this what you're talkin' about, Mama?

Insure Oklahoma

That must be it. Thanks.

[BajaOklahoma]

Before you start talking about nation health care, start talking to some of the folks in Canada who "benefit" from the wonderful system. And don't think it will be better here.
There is a reason that they come down here for health care.

[mdklatt]

Before you start talking about nation health care, start talking to some of the folks in Canada who "benefit" from the wonderful system.

Before you start talking about Canada, make sure the plan in question is anything like the Canadian system. This is not nationalized health care, this is transferring the burden away from employers and onto the individual. As far as I can tell, the only government involvment is providing subsidies (funded by revenue generated from elimnating the healthcare expense deduction for employers).

[sooner_born_1960]

Before you start talking about Canada, make sure the plan in question is anything like the Canadian system. This is not nationalized health care, this is transferring the burden away from employers and onto the individual. As far as I can tell, the only government involvment is providing subsidies (funded by revenue generated from elimnating the healthcare expense deduction for employers).

Employers could do that now if they wanted to.
The transferring the burden part.

[LilSooner]

I don't know much about the above, but I do know that in the next year or so that your hospitals are going to be paid in a MUCH different way. Hospitals nation wide are switching to a Paid for Performance scale. Which means if your nurse is a tard and doesn't wash her hands before treating you thus giving you some rare strand of an unknown virus and you are stuck in the hospital for three more months instead of being there three day. That hospital doesn't get paid jack for the care that give.

It's going to do one of two thing either health care professionals are going to get their freaking act together (Northwestern Oklahoma Hospitals I'm looking at you) or were going to get even more ****ious care than normal.

[mdklatt]

Employers could do that now if they wanted to.

And good luck hiring anybody.

[sooner_born_1960]

And good luck hiring anybody.

Are they going to outlaw employer sponsored health care? What's to keep companies from offering it?

[BajaOklahoma]

Sorry mdklatt, I read your comment without reading the article.

[OUstudent4life]

To tell the truth, true "national" health care (single-payer) I don't think would work (for us, at least...it might work well for other people). This plan seems like a reasonable step between two extremes. The problems with the extremes is that you either have:

A) a bunch of people uninsured, some people insured, and some people able to afford whatever they want, and therefore easier access to "high-end" care (tertiary?), i.e. MRI's and the such (and a BUNCH of specialists), or

B) EVERYBODY insured, with (hopefully) a TON of primary-care people, but considerably less access to high-end care.

The way the current US system is (A) doesn't translate overnight into B, nor should it, really, since neither system works perfectly.

[Jerk]

I really don't want to say anything except that if they ever make it to where I can't chose my own Doctor, I will go into Jihad mode, and probably millions of others, too.

I'm sure Hillary will have a brilliant plan for all of us in 2009, which will usher in a new era when socialism actually works, unlike the past, because she is so much smarter than all of us combined.

[mdklatt]

Are they going to outlaw employer sponsored health care? What's to keep companies from offering it?

Why would they even want to? Simply giving somebody an extra $400/month is a whole lot easier than administering a health plan.

[Scott D]

I really don't want to say anything except that if they ever make it to where I can't chose my own Doctor, I will go into Jihad mode, and probably millions of others, too.

I'm sure Hillary will have a brilliant plan for all of us in 2009, which will usher in a new era when socialism actually works, unlike the past, because she is so much smarter than all of us combined.

Jerk, I suggest you read the article.

Under Wyden's plan, employers would no longer provide health coverage, as they have since World War II. Instead, they'd convert the current cost of coverage into additional salary for employees. Individuals would use this money to buy insurance, which they would be required to have. Private insurance plans would compete on features and price but would have to offer benefits at least equivalent to the Blue Cross "standard" option. Signing up for insurance would be as easy as ticking off a box on your tax return. In most cases, insurance premiums would be withheld from paychecks, as they are now.

Nothing about being forced to see an 'assigned' doctor. And in essence by cutting out the middle man process both businesses and the working individual have less of a financial burden on them which leads to less of a financial burden on the country.

[jacru]

Why would they even want to? Simply giving somebody an extra $400/month is a whole lot easier than administering a health plan.

Bingo! and don't tax it.

[Stoop Dawg]

I skimmed the article and I like it, but I'm not so sure you really even have to go that far. I think that simply eliminating group insurance plans might be enough. Leave the rest alone, but disallow group plans and allow individuals to select their own plan - any plan they choose.

But the plan outlined in the article seems pretty solid to me too, as long as individuals get to pick their own plan.

[Vaevictis]

Before you start talking about nation health care, start talking to some of the folks in Canada who "benefit" from the wonderful system.

The problem with the Canadian system isn't that it's nationalized, it's that there is also mandatory equality. It's not everyone having health care that causes the problem, it's the fact that you're not allowed to go outside the system.

In Britain, you have nationalized health care and private health care side by side, and if the nationalized health care does what, when and where you want it to do something, you use that. If it doesn't, you have the option of forking out cash or buying additional insurance to go outside of the system to private doctors.

In short, you can have federally provided health care without having a system like Canada's.