Just been dealing with the pharmacy and our health insurance

[xiphias]

Can anyone give me an example of ANY problem that we'd have with socialized medicine that we don't have right now with our current health care system?

I mean, if I'm going to have to go through byzantine, bizzare, arbitrary bureaucracy and have to bang my head against walls and argue with people to have simple, commonsense health care taken care of, I'd like to at least know that it was available to everyone.

Comments

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

You're making a number of assumptions here.

First is that "young equals healthy."

There has never been a year of my life in which I've consumed less than a thousand dollars of health care. And most years have been significantly more. My medications are over $200/month alone. And have been for most of my life.

In addition, I've never earned more than $10,000 in a single year.

Under your plan, I'd be dead.

Now, this may or may not be a downside of your plan from your point of view, but I assure you that, from my point of view, it is. I'm afraid that I cannot support any plan under which I'm dead.

Another assumption that you are making is that I have the ability to make better decisions about my own health care than a pencil pusher in the government or at some insurance agency.

Why? Actual assignment of health care risk is a significantly complex technical specialty. Why would I be better at it than someone trained in it?

[bimmer1200.livejournal.com]

I'd say you being dead is a downside, yes.

Why would you be better at it than a pencil pusher? Precisely because it would be your life on the line. I think you're perfectly capable of picking a doctor or other health care provider that will meet your needs.

I did make a presumption though, that if someone has insurance of some kind from their work, they'd be able to use that money for an HSA. Or to choose their own healthcare instead of having to go with what their employer provides.

Another point I didn't make is that if someone with an HSA takes money out for non-medical purposes, they'd have to pay an income tax on it. As benefits of this kind are currently taxed, that additional revenue could be channeled into helping people who are having trouble. You well know I'm not fond of taxes, but I'd find that tolerable as a) the subsidy is self-selecting b) the self-selectors are people taking risks of their own choosing.

I'd also presume that necessary medical treatment would be provided as it is now. The problem with socializing systems like this is that it doesn't bring the people at the 'bottom' up, it just drags the people in the middle down and makes it even worse for the people at the 'bottom' and I don't think that helps anyone.