[Winona Online Democracy]
Rich,
I'm all for beginning this reform process at the State level and possibly
even keeping it there.
Again, considering the money and power problems you have in Washington
D.C., I don't think it's realistic to expect much from the king and the
courtisans.
I also think democracy dies the farther you move away from the people the
decisions affect.
Would anyone be interested in some kind of community forum on the topic of
health care reform to discuss different possible options in a fair format?
Dwayne Voegeli
==========
>From: "Rich PFlughoeft" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "'Online Democracy'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 00:44:19 -0500
>Status:
>
>I've been asked who should pay for health insurance if it's not the
>employer. Dwayne and Phil both are convinced it should be a government run
>single payer system. Their arguments are convincing to me. I would support
>such a system. However, I'm not convinced that you can bring such a system
>to reality. In my opinion, Americans (for good or bad) are loath to put the
>federal government in charge of aspects of their day to day life. Imagine
>for a moment, you call the IRS for a health insurance question. I know it's
>not a fair analogy, but it is the way some people think (again, this is my
>opinion).
>
>While I'm breaking the rule that says you should never write a letter like
>this late at night (I'm never as clever and witty as I think I am) I'm going
>to give it a shot.
>
>Assuming Dwayne and Phil are unsuccessful at bringing about a move to a
>national health care system I would propose the following:
>1) Think only in terms of the State of Minnesota
>2) Think in terms of making Insurance Companies play by rules that would
>'mimic the rules we would use in a single payer system'.
>
>What does this mean?
>
>Well, besides the evil profit motive of insurance companies (sarcasm
>intended since I'm sensitive to the word profit being equated with evil)
>there are a few things that strike me as reasonable reasons that health
>insurance premiums vary significantly from person to person or business to
>business.
>
>1) Pools and Cherry Picking: If you're a small employer with one or two
>employees with significant health issues, your premiums are going to be
>different from employers who have huge numbers of employees and 'on average'
>aren't as high a risk factor. Throw in the fact that self-insured people who
>have little in the way of 'health issues' are able to get insurance much
>more easily (or less expensively) than an individual who is seeking
>insurance but has a history of health problems.
>
>2) Many healthy people are not in the insurance pools. I would suspect this
>happens because of two primary reasons.
> 2a) I'm young and healthy and I have better things to spend my money on.
> -or-
> 2b) I'm wealthy enough that I don't need insurance.
>
>
>How would I 'regulate' insurance companies to deal with this?
>1) First and foremost, I would eliminate the issue of 'which pool are you
>in'?. If I was King for a day and could decree only one absolute law, it
>would be that insurance companies had to look at Minnesota as one and only
>one pool. If you are a resident of Minnesota, you are a member of that pool.
>Add to that the requirement that you could NOT be denied insurance because
>of a pre-existing condition. If you live in Minnesota, you can get insurance
>and it doesn't matter where you work or what your health history is.
>
>2)This is going to be the part that will kill my plan but, .... treat health
>insurance in the same way we treat auto insurance. If you have an auto, you
>are required by law to have insurance. In my opinion, if you have a 'body
>and you're alive' you should be required to have health insurance. This will
>keep all the people that think they can stay out of the equation while they
>are young and healthy (or wealthy enough to avoid insurance) from diluting
>the pool of healthy individuals.
>
>
>Please note that neither of the above points preclude insurance being
>provided by your employer. While I'd rather not pretend that it makes sense
>for me to be an integral part of the health care system, at least level the
>playing field.
>
>Oh, if it isn't already obvious, the state of Minnesota would have to play a
>role in providing the health insurance premiums for those who could not
>afford them. And, the state of Minnesota may have to address the 'Minimum
>Wage Laws' if we expect people to buy their own insurance. Of coarse, if
>people would prefer, we can continue to require businesses to provide this
>benefit. I'm expecting then that the day will come where I'll be required to
>buy my employees their groceries.
>
>So much for my late night dissertations. Good night all.
>
>Rich Pflughoeft
>
>
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><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I've
>been asked who should pay for health insurance if it's not the employer.
>Dwayne
>and Phil both are convinced it should be a government run single payer system.
>Their arguments are convincing to me. I would support such a system. However,
>I'm not convinced that you can bring such a system to reality. In my opinion,
>Americans (for good or bad) are loath to put the federal government in
>charge of
>aspects of their day to day life. Imagine for a moment, you call the IRS for a
>health insurance question. I know it's not a fair analogy, but it is the way
>some people think (again, this is my opinion).</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2>While
>I'm breaking the rule that says you should never write a letter like this late
>at night (I'm never as clever and witty as I think I am) I'm going to give
>it a
>shot.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2>Assuming Dwayne and Phil are unsuccessful at bringing about a move to a
>national health care system I would propose the following:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>1)
>Think only in terms of the State of Minnesota</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>2)
>Think in terms of making Insurance Companies play by rules that would
>'mimic the
>rules we would use in a single payer system'.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>What
>does this mean?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial
>color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2>Well,
>besides the evil profit motive of insurance companies (sarcasm intended since
>I'm sensitive to the word profit being equated with evil) there are a few
>things
>that strike me as reasonable reasons that health insurance premiums vary
>significantly from person to person or business to
>business.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>1)
>Pools and Cherry Picking: If you're a small employer with one or two employees
>with significant health issues, your premiums are going to be different from
>employers who have huge numbers of employees and 'on average' aren't as high a
>risk factor. Throw in the fact that self-insured people who have little in the
>way of 'health issues' are able to get insurance much more easily (or less
>expensively) than an individual who is seeking insurance but has a history of
>health problems. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>2)
>Many healthy people are not in the insurance pools. I would suspect this
>happens
>because of two primary reasons.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2> 2a) I'm young and healthy and I have better things to
>spend
>my money on.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2> &n
>bsp;  
>;
>-or-</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2> 2b) I'm wealthy enough that I don't need
>insurance.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>How
>would I 'regulate' insurance companies to deal with this?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>1)
>First and foremost, I would eliminate the issue of 'which pool are you
>in'?. If
>I was King for a day and could decree only one absolute law, it would be that
>insurance companies had to look at Minnesota as one and only one pool. If you
>are a resident of Minnesota, you are a member of that pool. Add to that the
>requirement that you could NOT be denied insurance because of a pre-existing
>condition. If you live in Minnesota, you can get insurance and it doesn't
>matter
>where you work or what your health history is.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2>2)This
>is going to be the part that will kill my plan but, .... treat health
>insurance
>in the same way we treat auto insurance. If you have an auto, you are required
>by law to have insurance. In my opinion, if you have a 'body and you're alive'
>you should be required to have health insurance. This will keep all the people
>that think they can stay out of the equation while they are young and healthy
>(or wealthy enough to avoid insurance) from diluting the pool of healthy
>individuals.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2>Please
>note that neither of the above points preclude insurance being provided by
>your
>employer. While I'd rather not pretend that it makes sense for me to
>be an integral part of the health care system, at least level the playing
>field.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2>Oh, if
>it isn't already obvious, the state of Minnesota would have to play a role in
>providing the health insurance premiums for those who could not afford them.
>And, the state of Minnesota may have to address the 'Minimum Wage Laws' if we
>expect people to buy their own insurance. Of coarse, if people would
>prefer, we
>can continue to require businesses to provide this benefit. I'm expecting
>then that the day will come where I'll be required to buy my employees their
>groceries. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>So
>much for my late night dissertations. Good night all.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Rich
>Pflughoeft</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=335314804-24102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
>size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
>
------------
Dwayne Voegeli
Winona County Commissioner, District #2
(507) 453-9012
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
359 Pleasant Hill Dr.
Winona, MN 55987
------------
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