Original Message: ----------------- From: John Williams jwilliams4...@gmail.com Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 17:28:02 -0700 To: brin-l@mccmedia.com Subject: Re: DeLong on health insurance reform
On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 5:00 PM, Bruce Bostwick<lihan161...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: >> Or, for an even darker scenario, how about the people who can't quit or, God >> forbid, be fired from their job because if they do they'll lose the only >> insurance that will cover them >Which is almost entirely the result of the poor government policy of >providing a large tax incentive to get health insurance through >employers rather than choosing it oneself. Well, there are problems with employer sponsered health care....especially since it is spotty. But, let's assume we tax all health care benefits as wages or allow all private health care spending to be tax free. For me, and my small business, it's esentially the latter right now. The problem is the fact that insurance is as affordable as it is for everyone who has it (counting the employer's payment as part of the wages), not just because it it tax deductable, but because there is one risk pool per company. My former company self-insured...they were large enough. I am now paying insurance through Teri's status as unemployed minister...which is affordable due to how they pool. But, if I were to pay as myself, then any health issues would put me in the 40k/year bracket. I could probably afford it, but most folks can't. So, after one big illness, you're dropped, and that's it. If you allow people with low risk to choose a special pool, then those with median income and one big illness in their family could not afford catastrophic insurance. That's why we offer it through employers, and why eery other developed country does it through the government. So, if you are advocating a private insurance option with one risk pool, and public help for the poor, then a private/public option is possible. If you are advocating the chance for companies to exclude people from a coverage group, then folks will stay uninsured. Dan M. -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web LIVE – Free email based on Microsoft® Exchange technology - http://link.mail2web.com/LIVE _______________________________________________ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
