A sensible article on HC reform

#2
#2
In auto insurance, some states have given us our own private version of tort reform to keep premium prices low. In these states, a driver can opt out of the litigation lottery when he purchases auto insurance by promising not to sue for pain and suffering if he's hit and injured by another driver. By doing this a policy holder can save hundreds of dollars a year on premiums. And yet for some reason the same option, that is, allowing us to buy a health insurance policy where we agree not to sue a health provider for pain and suffering if a treatment goes wrong, is not available, even though I imagine the cost savings would be enormous.
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This is a very good point.


However, while the comparison to auto insurance is interesting, isn't healthcare different in some important aspects? Say you don't buy catastrophic insurance and you are not mandated to. What happens when you show up to the ER with a gashing wound and you are in need of emergencey surgery? The doctors won't turn you away, but somebody has to pay for it and what if you can't. I would suspect those that aren't buying insurance are the ones with very few assets with which to sue for payment.

How does that work in a non mandated system, and for that matter, how do you punish somebody for not buying it? With car insurance you don't get to drive without insurance. With health insurance do you not get to live?
 
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#3
#3
If you show up at the ER you pay for it. If you have a catastrophic plan, it comes out of your pocket. If you have a delux plan, it comes out of the insurance but your premiums are higher.
 
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#4
#4
volinbham said:
If you show up at the ER you pay for it.
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I edited my last post, what if you can't pay for it? I would think many of those that won't buy the insurance won't have the assets for which to pay for the care.
 
#5
#5
rjd970 said:
How does that work in a non mandated system, and for that matter, how do you punish somebody for not buying it? With car insurance you don't get to drive without insurance. With health insurance do you not get to live?
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You can drive without insurance but if caught you pay a fine or other penalty. The same would work with health insurance mandates.
 
#6
#6
volinbham said:
You can drive without insurance but if caught you pay a fine or other penalty. The same would work with health insurance mandates.
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But there is a difference. You can't get a license without insurance to begin with, and even if you are caught without it, it is nothing more than a small monetary fine. We are talking about 10's of thousands of dollars in hospital bills. The people that aren't buying health insurance are the ones that will not be able to pay it.

In theory I agree with the article, but in reality I don't see how it can work.
 
#7
#7
The TORT reform passage is the most viable and reasonable but it won't happen. Anything that will take money out of lawyers pockets will be extremely hard to pass.
 
#8
#8
What makes sense to me is the mentality of the article - getting away from an entitlement to a purer sense of how one takes charge of their own healthcare the way they do for other forms of insurance.
 
#9
#9
volinbham said:
What makes sense to me is the mentality of the article - getting away from an entitlement to a purer sense of how one takes charge of their own healthcare the way they do for other forms of insurance.
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It makes sense to me too, but HC is a different animal. Some people are too stupid to take charge of it themselves and everybody else will have to end up paying for it, no matter the system.
 
#10
#10
rjd970 said:
But there is a difference. You can't get a license without insurance to begin with, and even if you are caught without it, it is nothing more than a small monetary fine. We are talking about 10's of thousands of dollars in hospital bills. The people that aren't buying health insurance are the ones that will not be able to pay it.

In theory I agree with the article, but in reality I don't see how it can work.
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when did insurance become a requirement for a license? It everyone was required to have auto insurance then why do I pay insane fees for uninsured motorists? To register a car maybe but it's easily bypassed. It's a similar situation and the person is making a choice that something else is more important than insurance.
 
#12
#12
rjd970 said:
It makes sense to me too, but HC is a different animal. Some people are too stupid to take charge of it themselves and everybody else will have to end up paying for it, no matter the system.
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There is no scenario where we won't subsidize care for some.

That being said, I favor a system that makes customers aware of HC prices and encourages them making decisions about the care they receive. The current system shields patients from costs so completely that we end up over using HC.
 
#13
#13
utvolpj said:
when did insurance become a requirement for a license? It everyone was required to have auto insurance then why do I pay insane fees for uninsured motorists? To register a car maybe but it's easily bypassed. It's a similar situation and the person is making a choice that something else is more important than insurance.
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In most states it's required for registration, and in some it's required for a license. It's required for registration in Alabama.
 
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