[StockAyatollah]

I'd glad to see Harry shutting his mouth on the War on Terrorism. Stick to economic issues like these, Harry!

[Taxman]

Harry is absolutely right: The way to fix the health insurance "system" is to get the Fed out of it completely.

[Cicero]

It should be obvious to the dullest eye that health insurance really began to grow unaffordable or unavailable just about the time that Bill and Hill tried to shove Hillarycare through. They didn't succeed in getting what they wanted, but they sure did succeed in mucking up the health care system royally. And it's as bad for doctors and hospitals as it is for patients.

[narby]

It's really hard to listen to Harry after his anti-American attitude after 9/11.

[Ken in Eastman]

Getting the government out is a great idea, but don't hold your breath. As for interim steps, expanding Medical Savings Accounts to keep the IRS out of our pockets more and make us less dependent on government programs is one step. Also, I know this will fluff a few feathers, but I'd like to see a catastrophic health care package made available that will be overseen by the federal government. I've seen too many people lose their homes or businesses when a loved one has a lingering illness that requires lengthy, expensive medical attention. Individuals would pay for the coverage, but because of the potential costs , it would probably need to be a national pool.

Regards,

[Free the USA]

Check the Bump List folders for articles related to and descriptions of the above topic(s) or for other topics of interest.

[freedox]

Having recently shopped for private, individual medical coverage for myself, I am certainly in agreement with the views expressed here. "Catastrophic only" medical coverage is virtually impossible to find these days. What most people seem to want is totally comprehensive coverage with little or no out of pocket expense.....in other words, they want to "get their money's worth" out of their premiums each year. It completely defeats the concept of "insurance."

[NCDoc]

The real solution is to outlaw medical insurance. Let it be cash on the barrel head. Once the doctors realize that the patients are paying for everything they do or order, rather than an insurance company or agency, the cost of medicine will plummet.

First benefit: about 20% of the cost of health care is the administrative cost of performing all of the billing and accounting procedures needed to satisfy Medicare and the thousands of insurance companies, all of which pay different amounts for every procedure.

Second benefit: The cost of what is being done for the patient again becomes a consideration. It isn't at this point in time.

[politeia]

I posted a reply to this article on another thread HERE

[LarryLied]

It may be hard to believe, but back in the 1950s health insurance cost just a few dollars a month for most people – and it was available to virtually everyone, including people with pre-existing conditions.

Not difficult to believe at all. In 1930, heath care was even cheaper . In 1900, it was cheaper still. In 1800, it was hardly a consideration.

Government intervention is a huge part of the problem of couse but blaming the cost solely on that is a simplistic analysis.

In 1950, you could not buy a pacemaker, a hip replacement, a CAT scan, Lipitor or a bovine heart valve replacement no matter how much money you had.

Government should get out of the market but that will never make the care some people may need affordable. We're going to have to accept that there can be no equality in health care anymore than there can in transportation. Some can buy a modest car, others a Lexus,others a Ferrari and some travel on private jets.

[dalebert]

Mental illness will be like a bottomless pit to healthcare.Get ready to move into a tent so you can afford it.

[Mamzelle]

Health care costs more for many reasons...some of them having to do with government lamebrains.

However, we do not have the same healthcare we had in the fifties. People walk away from heart attacks now that would have killed them fifty years ago. We have wonderful treatments and procedures. Life expectancy keeps going up.

That has not come cheap.

It was unheard of in the fifties to have a car with air conditioning. Care to live without that luxury these days?