Colorado May Replace Obamacare with Single Payer

[donner]

It's been many years since i saw the program, but Nightline did a big story on healthcare systems around the world, IIRC. I think it was the German model that sounded very interesting. Yes, it involved the government to a degree, but there were something like 80 different approved plans that a person could pick from. I think they had to have one, but the plans allowed for a lot of flexibility in cost/coverage and i think you could switch plans at almost any time.

healthy (less risky) people could be in plans that reflected their health conditions, while the more unhealthy could still get coverage but at different rates. The market allowed for both groups get coverage.

It'd probably take some national-level help to get a doctor in boston to take the same insurance as someone in Mississippi (or other parts of the US), but it'd be nice to not be tied to refuse to believe in a healthy lifestyle.

 

[JD8]

That'd mean opening the business up to competition, and even the insurers probably don't want that.

Imagine if a person in OK could buy a policy from anywhere in the US... madness i tell you!

Yep, you can do it with most kinds of insurance but the government in their infinite wisdom doesn't allow this. The companies can then cherry pick the markets they want to be involved in. Now that the ACA has come about, it's gotten worse. There are only two carriers signing individuals in Oklahoma, BCBS and United. United is threatening to pull out of Oklahoma in 2017, leaving 1 carrier.

 

[_CY_]

More than 2,000 physicians announced their support Thursday for a single-payer national health care system, unveiling a proposal drafted by doctors that appears to resonate with Bernie Sanders' call for "Medicare for All."

In an editorial and paper published in the American Journal of Public Health on Thursday, the doctors call out the "persistent shortcomings of the current health care system." They warn about the risks of continuing along the path laid out by the Affordable Care Act: "down this road, millions of Americans remain uninsured, underinsurance grows, costs rise, and inefficiency and the search for profits are abetted."

I'm for Trump but: 2,000 doctors say Bernie Sanders has the right approach to health care

 

[NikatKimber]

The problem with single payer, is that everyone pays their fraction/portion of the whole. Great for a healthy population, as it is basically cost-sharing across a large group. If the population is unhealthy (like the US), then those who take care of their health get screwed.

 

[donner]

The problem with single payer, is that everyone pays their fraction/portion of the whole. Great for a healthy population, as it is basically cost-sharing across a large group. If the population is unhealthy (like the US), then those who take care of their health get screwed.

Can the US come back from being so unhealthy? Can it be done without reasonable healthcare for all? I'm not a fan of paying for other people's lifestyles, but i do recognize that i'm getting dragged down no matter what happens, so why not work for fix it (them) and maybe have a chance...

 

[NikatKimber]

Can the US come back from being so unhealthy? Can it be done without reasonable healthcare for all? I'm not a fan of paying for other people's lifestyles, but i do recognize that i'm getting dragged down no matter what happens, so why not work for fix it (them) and maybe have a chance...

Voluntarily choosing to help others is VASTLY different from being forced to sacrifice the fruit of my labor to give to those who haven't labored.

 

[MadDogs]

Again ... The scale of the US going to a government plan would be untenable. To limit costs we would have to amend the Constitution as to be able to exclude certain groups. Single payer is another liberal wet dream.

 

[donner]

Voluntarily choosing to help others is VASTLY different from being forced to sacrifice the fruit of my labor to give to those who haven't labored.

I agree with the statement in general, but i don't know if it's exactly applicable. At least how i think you're intending it to be.

Also, you can't assume that those in need of help with medical costs 'haven't labored'. Costs for medical treatment can quickly outpace what the average person can afford, even with insurance.

And your insurance costs are still subjected to the cost sharing associated with having unhealthy people in your plan. Obamacare is a bad law for many reasons, and certainly doing a lot of damage. But you yourself noted the cost advantages of having a healthier population. How can we get the 'healthier' population without addressing those who need the care?

I guess i view it like the issue of education vs crime. It's far cheaper to educate a person at a young age than it is to incarcerate them later. (yes, the two aren't always mutually exclusive, but you get the point).

 

[NikatKimber]

I don't like ACA either.

What I meant by "haven't labored" is taken care of themselves. IE, not smoked, drank heavily, eaten healthy, exercised/worked physically, etc.

Exactly what they do with life insurance and car insurance. If you have a bad record, or poor health choices, the cost goes up.

 

[donner]

I don't like ACA either.

What I meant by "haven't labored" is taken care of themselves. IE, not smoked, drank heavily, eaten healthy, exercised/worked physically, etc.

Exactly what they do with life insurance and car insurance. If you have a bad record, or poor health choices, the cost goes up.

ah, thanks for clearing that up for me. wanted to make sure i understood what you were saying