PeakTrader.com

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PeakTrader said...

Larry, I know workers in the private sector who pay over $1,300 a month for health insurance (the highest plan out of three plans, for themselves and their families).

Now, don't you think that's ridiculous for most workers? So, why should government get involved anymore than it already has?

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I stated before:

The U.S. government has raised the cost of health care so high that many Americans can't afford it. Even with the high cost, the U.S. would have the highest life expectancy in the world if infant mortality rates across countries were equal, and excluding the black population, motor vehicle deaths, and gunshot deaths.

Government has done a great disservice to the American people by forcing them to pay higher premiums and co-payments, or pricing them out of the market, through over 100,000 pages of regulations, and it'll be a greater disservice when it takes over health care.

How to reduce health care costs:

1. Limit medical lawsuits and awards, to lower malpractice insurance premiums and unnecessary medical tests.

2. Lower standards to practice medicine (to increase labor).

3. Allow insurance companies to sell health-care policies across state lines (currently, average health care insurance ranges from a low of $1,254 in Wisconsin to a high of $8,537 in Massachusetts).

4. Allow innovation (example below):

Kaiser Microclinics At 50% of the Cost of a Full-Service Hospital

Two doctors working out of a microclinic at a mall could meet 80% of a typical patient's needs. With a hi-def video conferencing add-on, members could even link to a nearby hospital for a quick consult with a specialist. Patients would still need to travel to a full-size facility for major trauma, surgery, or access to expensive diagnostic equipment, but those are situations that arise infrequently. The per-member cost at a microclinic is roughly half that of a full Kaiser hospital.

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Larry says: "You are FREE to NOT TAKE the employer insurance and go to the free market to buy catastrophic insurance if you wish."

My health care insurance is part of my compensation. Are you saying my employer will give me cash instead of the health care insurance?

And, are you saying there's an actual free market in health care, where I won't need to pay ridiculous premiums and co-payments, because of over 100,000 pages of regulations?

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Also, Larry says: "It's the people who get the employer-provided insurance who drive up the cost."

Can an individual get a better deal on insurance than a firm with thousands of employees?

And how do people who pay the cost drive up the cost?

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Deregulation will reduce costs and increase supply, which will benefit the masses.

The price of health care can fall over 50% with little change in quality.

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