Insurers warn of overhaul-induced sticker shock

Fenton said:

The employer has been a healthcare provider through offering insurance plans as a part of compensation for decades. Because they buy in bulk essentially they have access to better plans at cheaper rates.

If employers are NOT providers who is ?

And I'm not going to "get use" to a plan that will not work and will not be implemented.

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it makes absolutely no sense to have employer-specific health insurance. every time you change jobs, you lose your health insurance. not only that, but since other first world countries don't do it that way, it is a drag on American businesses. finally, it's a serious disincentive to those who would like to start their own businesses. if you quit your job to start a business, not only do you lose your health insurance, but your employees can have a reasonable expectation that you will provide theirs. it's an idiotic system.

i support doing a thorough study of what every other first world country is doing, picking the best parts of each system, and fixing our health care to more closely resemble other systems with better outcomes and greater efficiency.

My world view? The people who would be running the UHC system would be nonpolitical permanent types that do not fly around on helicopters etc. The POTUS and Congress types will be there anyway. Try not to attack me, we are not discussing my world view. By the way, what does Obama's golf game have to do with healthcare? Talking points?

jmotivator said:

Ah, I see now that your world view depends on you ignoring that politicians are the functional head of government and enjoy the same perks as any CEO. Obama's golf schedule puts the average CEO to shame.

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CanadaJohn said:

Or, in two or four years, there will be sufficient Republicans in the House and Senate to repeal Obamacare, if the courts haven't already stripped it of meaningful effect beforehand.

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I hope you are right but these social programs are very difficult to undo once enough people get on the dole.

Helix said:

it makes absolutely no sense to have employer-specific health insurance. every time you change jobs, you lose your health insurance. not only that, but since other first world countries don't do it that way, it is a drag on American businesses. finally, it's a serious disincentive to those who would like to start their own businesses. if you quit your job to start a business, not only do you lose your health insurance, but your employees can have a reasonable expectation that you will provide theirs. it's an idiotic system.

i support doing a thorough study of what every other first world country is doing, picking the best parts of each system, and fixing our health care to more closely resemble other systems with better outcomes and greater efficiency.

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We'd save money by adopting the system of any other nation in the world, but if we were to develop our own, without having to hoot and leap and shout socialism and death panels. If we'd just consider rationally what works, we could wind up with one of the world's most efficient health care systems, instead of the least efficient of anyone.

Just imagine the economic power that could be released if employers didn't have to shell out thousands of dollars on each employee for health care, if patients had an incentive to shop around, and if providers didn't have to have an army of people whose expertise is in how to get government and private insurance to pay. Imagine a United States paying out 7% of its gdp instead of 17% for health care. Imagine a health care system with costs that rose only as much as inflation.

Imagine a functioning government that could bring such a thing about.

I'm waiting for the insurance industry collapse. We can point fingers to the left or to the right, or both ways. Either way, it doesn't matter. With or without Obamacare, the insurance industry is still going to fail, just like the bank industry, auto industry, and housing industry. It's only a matter of time.

Green Balls said:

I'm waiting for the insurance industry collapse. We can point fingers to the left or to the right, or both ways. Either way, it doesn't matter. With or without Obamacare, the insurance industry is still going to fail, just like the bank industry, auto industry, and housing industry. It's only a matter of time.

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Sooner or later.

No doubt in a couple thousand more years or so, none of those institutions will exist in its current form.