Getting rid of Health Insurance companies....

[BlackVelvet04]

I have no great love for health insurance companies....actually I pretty much detest them.

Can you imagine what would happen to our economy if the government just decided to do away with them? The stock market would tank, thousands upon thousands would be out of work and our economy would go into a complete tailspin.

Regulate them like the health care plans call for but do away with them at a time when our economy sucks? I don't think so.

[BootinUp]

1. The only way is to transition out of them, Hillary has the right idea. nt

[BlackVelvet04]

4. It sounds good in theory but the

actuality of it would be a disaster. Yep, it must be gradual.

[no name no slogan]

2. Please educate yourself. Go read about HR 676

A lot of your concern about the economic impacts are covered in the legislation

From the HR 676 Fact Sheet (from Rep. Conyers web site):

Conversion To A Non-Profit Health Care System

Private health insurers shall be prohibited under this act from selling coverage that duplicates the benefits of the USNHI program. Exceptions to this rule include coverage for cosmetic surgery, and other medically unnecessary treatments. Those who are displaced as the result of the transition to a non-profit health care system are the first to be hired and retrained under this act. Those not rehired would receive 2 years unemployment benefits. The conversion to a not-for- profit health care system will take place over a 15 year period, through the sale of U.S. treasury bonds.

[supernova]

3. But that's what's happened to other industries

they have been made redundant: steel, furniture making,

Why should insurance companies be immune to the vagaries of the marketplace?

[Jed Dilligan]

7. Because the employees are white-collar, not blue-collar

and the government is governed by the bourgeois prejudices of its people.

[BlackVelvet04]

8. If you think we have a recession now

I shudder to think what it would be like if we just shut down the health insurance industry. In order to minimize the effects on the economy I think it has to be done gradually.

[supernova]

17. It will happen like it always happens

a certain segment of the economy will tank, in this case the medical insurance sector. And yes, that will be sad, but no sadder than throwing steel workers nor air traffic controllers out of work. It's about damn time the financial services sector got to share the pain.

Their underwriters will simply find other types of insurance to underwrite. Afterall, you will still need home insurance, business insurance, and so on.

And don't forget; it won't go away completely. Even in the UK, you can get a policy that covers over and above what the NHS doesn't provide (like for instance, a private room during hospital stays.) But not everyone will want that.

[jtrockville]

5. When did we incur an obligation to support insurance companies?

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

12. Excellent question.

[BlackVelvet04]

14. We didn't but I think we have an obligation to

do it in such a way as to not make an already failing economy tank. Not to mention that another whole system must be put into place to support the health care system...whether it be expanding medicare or whatever, it still has to be funded, manned and put into place. You can't do that overnight.

[NanceGreggs]

16. Apparently we incurred that obligation ...

... at the same time we incurred an obligation to support clubbing baby seals to death rather than disturb the livelihood of those who depend on it for a living.

Actually, clubbing baby seals and clubbing citizens who need healthcare kind of has the same logical ring to it - don'tcha think?

[Jed Dilligan]

6. The way to do away with them is

for the government to provide health care that you don't need insurance to pay for. They would shrivel up and die on their own, like drug cartels will when we end the War on Drugs. What's Hillary's stance on that, by the way? Obama has stated that he supports decriminalizing marijuana.

[BootinUp]

11. It is in her plan, a medicare like government insurance option

available to everyone. Also there is the Federal Employee insurance program you could choose but that is backed by private insurers I believe.

[Jed Dilligan]

15. I don't believe in insurance period

You should be able to go to a doctor and pay for it. If it's too much for you, there should be subsidies. The money should come out of your pay via taxes--more if you're rich, less if you're poor. It should be that simple.

[BootinUp]

18. I think we agree

That is why I am very happy about her plan, I see it as a bridge to single payer eventually.

You might want to read about it at her website.

[Jed Dilligan]

20. Except that I don't want, or believe in a bridge

not to mention that it will break me financially and physically. Right now I spend money on health practices and products outside of the Western medicine model, that have proven much more effective at maintaining my health (healthy but expensive foods and Chinese medicines). I don't expect the government to buy those things for me, but taking the money I spend on them and putting it into some worthless HMO would basically ruin my life.

[BootinUp]

22. You bring up an interesting point

some people do not believe in Western medicine, I think that is a pretty small percentage of Americans. Anyways, I wouldn't be surprised if there would still be a plan setup for people like that with some provision for emergency hospital coverage in the event of accidents and such. As far as cost, from what I have read, the cost for some of these plans will be surprisingly low and adjusted based on your income.

[Jed Dilligan]

26. I believe in Western medicine,

it's just not designed to make people healthy. It's designed to fix the damage that's done by living in poor health. At 33 years old I don't expect to get any major diseases for at least ten or fifteen years, and by then I hope to be a little better off.

As things are, my partner has health insurance that she bought (our employer pretty much made her, but gave her a raise to cover it) and I don't. (We are both contract workers with nothing but 1099 income.) Anything catastrophic that happens to her will bankrupt her, insured or not--it would be the difference between forty and twenty thousand or whatever, not really significant because she'd be screwed in either case. For minor ailments, I've found the only thing doctors do is tell you to get some OTC meds, and after enough go-rounds you can figure out how to diagnose and prescribe it for yourself. In short, insurance is not really useful to either of us right now. A catastrophic accident will end our financial future one way or the other.

I'm not sure how Clinton's plan would work, or if the details are even available. A mentor of mine has gone through kidney failure and been treated through Medi-Cal (our version of Medicaid). It's kept him alive, but the way it's set up he literally can't earn any money for the rest of his life. Each of his weekly dialyses costs thousands of dollars, and whatever he makes will be garnished against the bill, which is probably in the millions by now. I guess this is fair on some level, but it's also terrible because his partner is dying and she can't will him her house because the state will take it. I'm not sure what will happen. It's become a vicious battle in the family.

In short, I don't trust any existing delivery system for health care, and I don't want to give up my effective health practices to pay for something that won't be beneficial.

[NanceGreggs]

9. "I say we take the shuttle ...

... and nuke them from space. It's the only way to be sure."

[DesertFlower]

10. they can sell homeowners, car, life,

flood and in the case of medical -- insurance for plastic surgery and cosmetic dermatology.

[BlackVelvet04]

23. Well, those insurance indusries have cut back on employees

because of the costs incurred from all the hurricanes. A local underwriting insurance company my sister works for has laid off over half of it's employees. I don't see them being able to absorb all of those lost jobs.

[JFKgirl]

13. hillary is the health insurance company candidate

All of her money is lobbyist money. Why do you detest the people funding your candidate?

[elixir2]

19. For your first day on DU you've been busy, JFKgirl. So much ground to cover against Hillary.

Let's have some links re Hillary's friendship w/ big insurance. Thanks!

:hi:

[peace13]

Imagine how many jobs will be created by people

getting the medical care they need but have been putting off because they have no insurance. The industry will change but I think single payer health coverage would create many jobs as well.

[peace13]

21. Imagine how many jobs will be created by people

getting the medical care they need but have been putting off because they have no insurance. The industry will change but I think single payer health coverage would create many jobs as well.

[BlackVelvet04]

24. everybody will be ok with it unless it's their 401K plan that

gets devastated when the stock market goes belly up. Just doing away with health insurance companies in one fell swoop is really pretty irresponsible in a time of economic recession, IMO.

[Canuckistanian]

25. No pain, no gain

In this case, it's an elimination of jobs for a relative few to benefit the majority.

To be fair, this situation should not have had to exist in the first place.

Greed should NEVER be encouraged.