tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post7448321205461022898..comments2024-03-27T09:08:50.883-07:00Comments on Bad Mom, Good Mom: Rational Health Care Reform Discussionsbadmomgoodmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-29519829794156827392009-08-18T10:53:07.485-07:002009-08-18T10:53:07.485-07:00No, I should have made that clear. I think catast...No, I should have made that clear. I think catastrophic health insurance is a bad idea for society overall. They are another form of cherry-picking. And they can lead to people delaying treatment.<br /><br />Public long-term care facilities are full of young men who had bare-bones or no health & car/motorcycle insurance.badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-29166120591441011502009-08-18T09:33:18.171-07:002009-08-18T09:33:18.171-07:00Are you suggesting that people should get to choos...Are you suggesting that people should get to choose between comprehensive and catastrophic insurance? If so, self-selection will keep catastrophic rates down (due to a healthier pool), while comprehensive rates are driven out of reach. Yes, mandating comprehensive insurance will mean that some young people will have to shell out more money; however, it will also bring the price of comprehensive insurance within reach to millions.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15698885393854345012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-354949392059327472009-08-18T08:49:20.728-07:002009-08-18T08:49:20.728-07:00My take on Obama's strategy is that he "o...My take on Obama's strategy is that he "overlearned" the lessons from the failure of the Clintons in the 90s. That effort was brought down by industry groups, so this time Obama is doing whatever it takes to get them on board, perhaps assuming that the system can be tweaked to remove some of the plums he's granting them along the way.<br /><br />Perhaps the assumption is that competition will naturally drive premiums down? If there is an actual competitive marketplace for insurance, you'd expect some companies to offer bare-bones coverage at the lowest price at which they can still turn a profit and other companies to offer fancier coverage at a higher price- and consumers could choose what best meets their needs. <br /><br />Of course, right now, insurance companies compete not for consumers but for HR departments, and that competition is almost solely on price. My "choice" at open enrollment time is between the HMO and the PPO offered by the same company. If I want to go out and buy insurance privately, I pay a huge premium for trying to go outside of a group plan. I can't help but laugh anytime someone tells me that we have insurance competition now. We do, sort of, but it is a very unusual market!<br /><br />I do agree with Dr. Healy, though, that this is likely going to take a few iterations to get right. If everyone were discussing the options rationally and respectfully, I'd be very happy. Sadly, what we actually have is Republicans distorting the facts and telling outright lies on Fox News and Democrats who seem unable to muster a clear and honest defense of why we need reform and who seem to instead want to fall back on cheap bashing of entire industries. It makes me sad.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.com