Comments on: Cautious Candidate, Cautious Plan

The New Republic: Obama's Health Care Plan Is Good, But Not The Best

[sparks224]

Makeafence,
It sounds like you%u2019ve bought into the insurance industry lie that healthcare costs are so high because of lawsuits. Checkout this link

http://www.centerjd.org/private/mythbuster/MB_medical_malpractice.htm

[sparks224]

Makeafence,
I sounds like you%u2019ve bought into the insurance industry lie that healthcare costs are so high because of lawsuits. Checkout this link.

http://www.centerjd.org/private/mythbuster/MB_medical_malpractice.htm

[sparks224]

Makeafence,
I sounds like you%u2019ve bought into the insurance industry lie that healthcare costs are so high because of lawsuits. Checkout this link.

http://www.centerjd.org/private/mythbuster/MB_medical_malpractice.htm

[bill1fj]

Sounds like Obama has started on the path to trying to get health care insurance available to everyone, but stopped short.
Obama doesn't represent most citizens on many items of consern. Most legal citizens want illegal aliens deported, and anyone that hires them fined and jailed. No Amnesty.
We want someone that has solutions for our problems both inside the country and out.
Obama jsut seems to have no solutions, just complaints.
As someone from Illinois once said: "Where's Obama?"

[bill1fj]

Sounds like Obama has started on the path to trying to get health care insurance available to everyone, but stopped short.
Obama doesn't represent most citizens on many items of consern. Most legal citizens want illegal aliens deported, and anyone that hires them fined and jailed. No Amnesty.
We want someone that has solutions for our problems both inside the country and out.
Obama jsut seems to have no solutions, just complaints.
As someone from Illinois once said: "Where's Obama?"

[makeafence]

Two factors not touched on in the article: 1) the impact of litigation on health care costs and 2) the impact of illegal immigration on health care costs. The "Buf 'n Blue" alum can and should take a shot at Edwards with (1). As most Dems these days, he probably lacks the integrity and fortitude to go near (2). ~40 million uninsured and ~12-20 million illegal aliens. Except with illegal aliens, uninsured does not mean they don't receive medical care; it's just subsidized by the taxpayer.

[sparks224]

Every one knows the system will have to change. We will go one of two ways:
1. Publicly funded single payer (like the rest of the developed world).
2. Privately funded (the same as we have now with more regulation).
The Healthcare Industrial Complex naturally wants to maintain the status quo.

Unfortunately, because of the amount of money required to run for president, Barrack had to sell out to big business. It%u2019s sad.

[ioweign]

The whole idea of insurance is a risk pool. It's easy to see where our system is headed, the insurance companies will cherry pick the least risky to make sure the shareholders make money, those deemed risky will end up in high risk state run pools financed by taxpayers.
Posted by omega39 at 09:56 AM : Jun 03, 2007

If you go and try to purchase health insurance NOW, the insurance companies not only check your present health. They will look at your credit history and interview your neighbors for your life style. They go way beyond CHERRY PICKING.

The reason we have Social Security is you can't count on employers. Just look how employers are taking advantage of illegal immigration now. PS - Social Security works if the elected officials would keep their fingers out of it.

[cozzicon]

I remember seeing a study once that did the math to determine whether a single insurance company could insure the whole American public at a flat fee, and whether it would be profitable.

This was in the 90's.

But the upshot of the study was that, yes, a single payer insurance pool could easily meet the needs of all Americans' health care. The downside (from a business standpoint) was that is wasn't all that profitable. It wouldn't operate at a loss, but it presented a profit opportunity akin to some public utilities (think the electric company- which in most areas is not allowed to make a huge margin).

And there is the real problem... If companies are forced to insure everyone... they will take a large hit in the area of profits. And they like their profits.

[omega39-2009]

The whole idea of insurance is a risk pool. It's easy to see where our system is headed, the insurance companies will cherry pick the least risky to make sure the shareholders make money, those deemed risky will end up in high risk state run pools financed by taxpayers.